


The troubles of knowing yourself

by TheRantingSage



Series: Unions and Reunions [2]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, And hey! My agents 3 and 4 don't hate each other!, And his fish buddy, As of making this tag its in like 2 chapters out of 21 I'm so sorry, Because canonically they do trade with the Octarians, Benny having no arms is a very sad running gag but am I keep going to make it relevant? Yes, Benny's Quest part six is as dark as the series gets ripperoni, Bullying, Eight is a complacent amnesiac, F/F, FISH LORE I REPEAT, Fake video games are the best video games, Fish eggs.......does that count y'all help me, Fish lore y'all there's FISH LORE, Four is a video game nerd, Grizzco, I know Pearlina is tagged but it is VERY MUCH background rip, I wish there was an Octocopter tag...., I'll add tags as i post more chapters, Implication of child murder, It's playful banter y'all, Kamabo is evil but professional, OC'S FOR BACKSTORY'S SAKE, Ocs?? They're implied to exist but I gave them personalities and junk, Octavio is trying his best, Octavio just can't catch a break but does he deserve one? Maybe. Maybe, Octavio just wants to talk dangit, Octocopter rights, Only REAL friendship allowed in this house, PTSD, Salmon Run (Splatoon), So technically they're Ocs, Sorta kinda its hard to explain, Sunshine boy too good for this world, There's a POINT to this one kinda, This is a lot more plot-y than the last one, Three and Eight bond over having Anxiety, Three is a supportive girlfriend, so that's cool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2020-06-08 17:37:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 69,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19475452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRantingSage/pseuds/TheRantingSage
Summary: Anyone who knew Eight well knew several things by heart: one, she was incredibly timid. Two, she had her memories taken in the metro and was too traumatized by her time there that she hadn't bothered with getting them all back. Three, she had a veritable BOATLOAD of PTSD. Scratch that, make it a TRAINLOAD.There was more than that worth knowing, but that was a good rundown for new friends.But whatever, she had plenty of understanding friends already! Cuttlefish was always willing to lend his shoulder and his jacket to cry on, Off the Hook were practically her moms at this point, and now she had Three! Well, she liked to think she always had Three as a comfort, but it was different now! Closer!There was still a lot about herself she didn't know...but at the end of the day, she knew one thing for certain.If whoever she used to be was someone Three felt comfortable pointing a gun at? She was fine with not being them anymore.





	1. Who is that?

They were meeting in Octo Canyon today. Eight wasn't quite sure why, Three said she had some sort of surprise for her.

She arrived a bit early, because she seemed to have a habit of doing that. She pulled out her phone.

[Eight]: **Hey, I don't see you**  
[Eight]: **You our patrolling?**  
[Eight]: ***out**

She didn't want to come off as impatient, but she felt like it was important to at least check with her, since Three had said beforehand that _she_ would be the one waiting.

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Sorry, got caught up with something, I'll be there as soon as I can**  
[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Real sorry again!**

Eight sighed, but it was more out of amusement than anything.

[Eight]: **It's fine, I'm good at being patient**

She was about to send another message when a sound from behind her got her attention.

"Hey, hey, psst! Over here!"

And she turned around and noticed, for the first time, the very obviously _there_ snow globe with her former king inside.

And she stared for a _very_ _brave_ three seconds before turning into an Octopus and swimming away, shrieking in terror.

Octavio groaned. "Hey, chill out, would ya? There's no one else here. Just us."

Eight, from a safe distance away, poked her little head out of the ink. _"Bwuh! Exactly!"_ She whimpered in Octarian.

The DJ brought a tentacle to his temple. "Uuuuggggghhhh, look, I know you're just trying to keep up this act for the sake of your own safety, but you can't fool _me_ , Garratia."

Eight stared at him, and swam just a little bit closer _. "Garratia?"_ She inquired softly.

Octavio rolled his eyes. "Yes yes, it's probably very nice to hear someone say your name after having to go by that stupid fake name, yeah, whatever, but would you _please_ stop stalling and let me out of here?"

Eight went just a little closer, turning back into an Octoling after breathing deeply. "W-why?"

The king pressed his forehead to the glass in slight exasperation. "Ugh, you know what, _fine_ , you want compensation? Uhhh, well, you were already a high-ranking guard, but perhaps you'd like a squadron? A whole platoon, even. Is that enough of a reward?"

She took another shaky step towards him, brow furrowed with confusion. "W-w-why would I want _that?_ I don't, I don't _want_ to g-go back down there..."

He raised a brow of his own. "What's that supposed to mean? Of course you do. Never took you for the _greedy_ type, do you really need more incentive?"

"I-I think you're mistaking me for someone else, s-sir." She weakly replied.

He rolled his eyes again. "Oh come on, give me more credit than _that_ , Garratia. I'd never forget someone like you. But then again, I also never took you as one for espionage, so perhaps there's more for me to learn."

Eight shook. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about." She replied softly.

DJ Octavio loomed before her, and she flinched back.

"Must I explain your own plan to you?! Because I'm not going to do that, that would be pointless and redundant!" He shouted. "Now let me out, that's what you came here for!!"

Eight shrieked and hid in her ink again.

The larger Octopus blinked, confused and irritated. "What in the world _happened_ to you, Garratia? You'd usually not hesitate to follow simple orders."

She replied, but chose to stay hidden in the yellow ink. "I have, I have amnesia." She replied quietly. "Whoever you're talking about, sh-she doesn't exist anymore."

He groaned again in response. "Yes, I'm aware of your _alibi_. But we are speaking of _reality_ right now, Garratia. And the reality is I am starting to get _tired_ of how you are behaving. Very immature."

She peered out of the ink, squinting. "You're...you're wrong. I'm not, I'm _not_ faking this. I very much don't u-understand what you're telling me to do..."

He rolled his eyes, clearly not believing her. "Funny. Now would you _please_ skip to the part of this conversation where you come to your senses and let me out?!"

She hopped out of the ink, turned back into an Octoling, and stood her ground with shaky legs. "N-no! I don't want to!"

His eyes narrowed, and her composure began to crumble under the scowl of a King. "Are you admitting. To treason. Garratia?" He growled.

Her legs knocked together, and tears began to gather in her eyes. "St-stop, stop calling me that! That isn't my name!"

"Of COURSE it is!! You're-" He stopped, and stared at her. The look on her face was one of genuine fear. He'd _never_ seen her look at him like that. "By Cod. Are you serious. You're not actually a spy." He deadpanned, looking both aggravated and horrified.

She sniffled, took a step back, and nodded.

"What...happened to you? You were one of the bravest Octolings in the guard." His voice was much less loud now, as if he was making an active effort not to spook her.

She looked away, opening her mouth to reply, but then closing it with a shudder. She spared him one last shaky glance, before turning back into an Octopus and swimming away.

"G-Garratia, wait!" He called to her, but she'd already dove into the grate. Octavio was alone once more.

The DJ looked down at himself, contemplative. His eyes were downcast, thoughtful. He stayed that way for a few moments...before looking up, leering into the distance with anger in his eyes.

"I'm going to _find_ who did this to you, and I'm going to make them _pay_."

* * *

[Eight]: **sorry can we meet at my house instead**

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Oh sure, I'm closer to there anyway.**  
[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Why? Did something happen?**

[Eight]: **...........octavio is um**  
[Eight]: **right there**  
[Eight]: **and i somehow didn't notice until today**

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Oh.**  
[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Are you ok? Was he mad at you?**

[Eight]: **he thought I was a spy so he was yelling at me to let him out does that count**

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked to meet you there, that was poor foresight on my part**

[Eight]: **its ok I probably would've had to meet him at some point anyway**  
[Eight]: **i just wish you'd have been theee when it happened**   
[Eight]: ***there**

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **You already at your house?**

[Eight]: **yeah**

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **I'll be there in like five minutes**

[Eight]: **ok**  
[Eight]: **see you soon**

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **See you soon**

Eight set her phone back down and stared quietly into her lap.

".....Garratia...?"


	2. Hand on the trigger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight goes over to Four's house and plays a video game

"Soooooo you just wiggle the circle around to move...and press the other buttons to do all the other stuff?" Eight asked, squinting at the controller in her hand.

Four grinned. "Yeah, the top one lets you dig, bottom shoots ink, left turns you into squid form, aaaannnd right is to jump! You can also press the little plus to open inventory, that's super important."

"I still can't believe _this_ is the game you're using to introduce her to video games." Three remarked with an eye roll.

The trio of agents had decided to hang out at Four's house that day, upon realizing two things. One, neither of them had actually _been_ there before. Two, Eight didn't know what video games were and Four had plenty to share.

Eight shot the terrain with her strange shovel-gun, squinting. "So, um, remind me what the objective is again?"

Four pointed at a list at the top right corner of the screen. "Your boss needs you to find a bunch of fossils. The ones you need are up in this list at the top. You find them by digging in the spots on the ground that're colored differently when you ink em."

The Octoling checked the list and squinted at it. "Those are only pictures...do the fossils not have names...?"

"They do, the game just doesn't tell you." Three replied. "If you're new to the game you have to find as many as you can so you can compare them to see which ones you need."

Eight squinted some more. "That sounds...tedious."

Three gave a mirthless laugh. "Yeah, it's a pain. I'm pretty sure certain fossils only spawn in certain parts of the map too? But I wouldn't know, I didn't play this much when I was a kid."

Four looked at Three incredulously. "It's not a pain, it's an _exploration_ game! There's no time limit, so there's no rush! Though your ink _will_ disappear after a while, but that happens in real life too, so like..."

Eight's character sprayed the ground and found a dark spot, she dug it up, and picked up a fossil. She opened her inventory and compared it. "Uh...it _kinda_ looks like one of the ones I need? Four, do I _need_ this one?"

"Uh, sure dude! That looks right!" The short-haired agent replied. "And even if it isn't, you keep inventory between digs, so it's totally a viable strategy to stock up on a bunch of random fossils early on so you can breeze through later levels. The game makes you go _really_ far for some of the later levels."

Eight pouted, but it was less a sad face and more a concentrated one. Her character inked the dirt, and swam through it. "So what do I do when I've found the right fossils?"

"You go back to your boss. It's important to remember where he drops you off at the beginning, it's a different spot each dig. But don't go back if you don't have everything he asked for, or you'll automatically fail."

Eight's character stopped moving. Her hands shook.

Three turned to look at her. "Eight...?"

The word echoed in the Octoling's mind. _Fail, fail, fail, fail, test failed, test failed, test failed, failed failed failed failed F A I L E D._

The controller fell out of her hands.

The other two regarded her with concern. "Are...are you ok, Eight?" Four asked.

She could hear the sound of the bomb beeping on her back, C.Q. Cumber's high-pitched voice informing her of her failure. The explosion went off in her mind, and she went into a fetal position, letting out a blood-curdling _scream_ of agony.

Three's eyes widened in panicked realization. "Oh Cod, Four she's having a panic attack."

Four's eyes widened in turn. "What?! What do we do?!"

Eight held herself tightly, hyperventilating and letting out a whimper with each breath.

"I-I don't know!" Three shot back, reaching towards her girlfriend as if to hold her, but stopping, hands hovering just above her. She didn't know how to help in a circumstance like this, this had never happened before! "Eight, Eight, I'm here, you're gonna, you're gonna be ok, everything's ok." She told the other, voice soft yet firm.

"Buh...it....it....hurts, it all...hurts, ah, ah, _ah_ , help me...." The poor Octoling managed to cry between breaths, making an attempt to move closer to the Inkling, only to curl inward on herself with a wince. She was still hyperventilating.

Three's hands continued to hover there for a moment before she took a deep breath and placed them on the Octoling's shoulder.

Eight's breath hitched for a moment, but she managed to pry one eye open to look at the Inkling. She still looked terrified, but there was a pleading look in her eye that accompanied it. "Three..."

Three turned to look at Four sideways and jerked her head. Four got the message and left the room.

The remaining Inkling turned back to the Octoling and inquired softly, "What do you need me to do, Eight?"

Eight breathed in, out, in, out, forcing what few words out that she could. "H...hold...please... _please_..."

Three swiftly and carefully scooped up the Octoling in her arms, holding her against her chest. She shakily managed to get to her feet and moved to the couch, figuring it'd probably be more comfortable than the floor.

Eight wrapped her arms around the other, tightly and desperately, and began to cry.

The Inkling kept quiet, electing to just be there and hold her until she'd calmed down.

And it took a while, it _was_ a panic attack, but she eventually managed to steady her breathing. She drew in one last shaky breath, and let it out slowly. "Th-thank you..." She whispered.

"Hey...anytime. Are you feeling ok?"

She gripped the other tighter. "N-no, but...better, better than I was. That was...scary. I thought...I, I thought I was back down there, with the b-bomb on my back."

Three's eyes widened. Eight hadn't told her much about her time down in the Metro, and the Inkling had never pressured her to. But what she _had_ heard had made it sound like it was just...dark and full of puzzles. Aside from the blender, she hadn't thought much had happened. "You...what?"

Eight continued to hold the Inkling tightly. "I...wh-when I did the tests, I had a b-bomb on my back. If I f-fai... _messed up_ , C.Q. Cumber would det...detonate it."

Hearing that made Three see red. She wanted to strangle the slug, and if she ever met him she'd surely do so. But...saying that aloud _probably_ wasn't what Eight needed to hear at that moment. So instead of saying that, she returned the tight embrace twofold, making sure to not touch the Octoling's back. "That will _never_ happen again. You'll never have to go through that ever again. I promise, Eight."

The Octoling sniffled. "I'm...I'm safe up here, I'm safe...I'm safe here...I'm safe with you here..." She whimpered to herself, burying her face in Three's chest.

Three would've been flustered if it wasn't for how clearly frightened her girlfriend still was.

The pair of them heard a sound from the edge of the room. Eight raised her eyes towards the doorway.

And there stood Four, wringing her hands guiltily. "H-hey, buddy, pal, you doin ok over there?" She offered weakly.

Eight took in a deep breath. Let it out in a deep sigh. "I'm doing...better now than I was five minutes ago?" She replied, managing a tiny smile to reassure the other.

Four let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Oh thank _Cod_ , I am so freaking sorry dude, I really messed up, I-"

"N-no, it's ok, you didn't know! I'm not mad at you!" Eight yelped back.

"Even so, we really need to figure out what your triggers are in full, just so stuff like this doesn't happen again." Three informed the Octoling in her lap, resting a hand atop her head.

Eight frowned. "Ah, you're probably right. You should talk to Pearl and Marina about that. They were watching a lot of what I went through, so they'd probably have a decent idea of what would stress my brain out. I-I mean, I can think of a few things myself but..."

"You'd rather not say, I get it. And that's fine, I'll ask them later."

Four took a step inside the room. "You live with Off the Hook, right?" She asked.

Eight nodded. "Yeah, they offered to house me when I came up here. Th-they're very nice."

The short-haired agent snorted. "Man, lucky. I'd never pinned them as mom types!"

Eight blushed lightly. "They're not my moms..."

Three laughed a little. "They kinda are."

"Yeah they pretty much adopted you. That's what Marie said, anyway. She talks to them way more than I do."

Eight puffed out her cheeks.

Four laughed at the expression on the Octoling's face. "H-hey, it's nothing to be embarrassed about! I'm adopted too!"

Three raised an eyebrow. "Really? I never knew that."

The inkling shrugged, still grinning. "Meh, never thought to mention it. I actually still live with them, but they're out right now. And before you make some remark, _Three_ , I pay rent."

Three _had_ been about to make a remark, but closed her mouth with a hum.

Eight snuggled herself closer to Three, smiling to herself. "Thanks, you both. I think I feel calm now. It's...it's good to have friends like you."

A happy blush spread across Three's face as Four gave an amused snicker.

"Do you, uh, want to try the game again?" Four inquired carefully.

Eight thought for a moment, cheek still resting against Three's chest. "You know...I think I'd rather watch you play. You sounded like you know a lot about this game."

Four grinned proudly. "Heck yeah I do, Squidscavator is my childhood. You guys wanna come sit over here or are you gonna keep being sappy on the couch?" She inquired with a smirk.

Three scratched her cheek, still blushing, then turned to Eight. "Uh, what do you feel like doing?"

Eight took in another deep breath, let it out, and smiled meekly. "I think I'm fine if we sit back on the floor."

Soon enough, the three of them were sitting on beanbag chairs, laughing about video games again.

Three carefully slipped her hand into Eight's, and the Octoling smiled. She'd be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you've been enjoying the series so far :D There's plenty to come! Probably gonna try and space out my porting over to give myself time to work on the new chapters (since the majority of this story is already written and posted over on Wattpad) so it might be 1 chapter every day or so? Maybe slower tho. Either way there's 17 chapters written already and I'm working on number 18. So look forward to lots of stuff!


	3. Trauma talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three has an informative meeting with Off the Hook

Pearl sat at the kitchen table, scratching away at some paper with a pencil. She hummed thoughtfully.

The sound of a door opening and closing behind her made her smile in anticipation, and moments later Marina looped her arms over the small Inkling's shoulders.

"Hey Pearlie." The Octoling greeted, planting a kiss atop her head.

Pearl grinned up at her. "Hey Rina."

"What're you up to?"

She pointed back down at the paper with the pencil in her hand. "Still tryna figure out Blazing Love Meteor. It's driving me nuts, and all I've got is that one bit you heard initially."

Marina's eyes scanned over the paper, seeing it half full of words and half full of lines scratched out. She gave a light laugh. "Don't drive yourself _too_ crazy, most people probably still think that was just dead-end news banter."

"I mean, I'm aware of that. But I still want this to be a _real cheesy_ banger, you know? What do you think, you know any symbolic cheesy crap I could throw in?"

The Octoling opened her mouth to reply with an idea of some kind, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door.

Pearl turned to stare at the door. "Is that Three?"

Marina went to get it. "She must be early." She opened the door, and sure enough, there stood Three, wringing her hands together.

"Hey." She greeted.

Pearl snorted. "Geez, you look wound up. Chill, we don't bite."

Three gave a nervous laugh. "S-sorry, I just...I don't know. I'm nervous for some reason."

Marina gave the agent a soft smile, beckoning her inside as she shut the door. "I mean, PTSD isn't exactly a happy topic, so I can understand where the nerves are coming from."

Three took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Yeah...yeah. That's fair."

The Octoling raised a hand to her mouth and stifled a laugh. "And just to set the record straight, I'm not mad at you for any Octarian-related things you've done in the past. The fault lies with Octavio, and I don't consider him my King anymore. Plus, you make Eight happy. So that's good enough for me, alright?"

The agent let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank _Cod_."

Pearl snickered, balled up the paper she'd been scribbling on, and tossed it in the trash as she got up. She could make _real_ progress later. "Ya know, for a so-called _serious_ secret agent, you seem oddly vulnerable about stuff like this." She remarked as she approached them, hopping on the couch.

Marina sat beside her, and motioned for Three to join them.

Three gave a laugh of embarrassment and complied, but not without putting some space between herself and the couple. "M-maybe I'm not in agent mode right now, ok? I'm just...worried about Eight." She took a deep breath to calm her nerves again, before composing herself and shooting the other two a smirk. "And since you guys _are_ her moms, maybe your opinion of me matters? Ever think about _that?"_

Pearl blushed bright pink. "W-we're _not_ -"

Marina blushed in turn, putting an arm around the Inkling and giving a small laugh. "We kind of _are_ , though."

The Inkling scoffed, sweating but choosing not to comment on the matter further.

Marina turned to Three again. "So what do you know about the issue already? That's a good place to start."

Three rested her hands in her lap. "Well, the time she told me about her nightmare she said they were about bombs, blenders, and some specific shade of blue. And then the panic attack she had a few days ago seemed to be prompted by Four saying some word that reminded her of getting blown up repeatedly down in the metro, which is _messed up_ by the way."

Marina hummed in thought. "The word was probably 'failed' then, if it reminded her of that. And if she went into a legitimate panic attack, then that word is _definitely_ a trigger. As for the other stuff, she seems fine when she gets bombs thrown at her in turf wars, so those just make her uncomfortable, rather than panicked."

Three nodded attentively.

"We have a blender in the kitchen, and she's fine to look at it, but the one time it was in use when she was in the room she had a meltdown, so the _sound_ of a blender is the triggering thing there."

The Inkling hummed.

Pearl continued. "She also freaked out hardcore when we tried to take the train once, so unsurprisingly trains in general are a no-go."

"Makes sense." Three replied.

"What else, what else...hmmm, oh! Hospital stuff! She went to the doctor's office once and freaked out real bad, she said everything was pale and sterile and it reminded her of Kamabo. She said the smell made her feel faint to? So like, take from that what you will."

Three nodded seriously.

Marina clapped her hands together. "Here's something useful though: whenever she has a panic attack, nothing calms her down faster than music. Squid Sisters works the best, but one of our songs seems to work really well too: Into the Light. So make sure to have that on your phone, it'll definitely help."

Three raised a bemused eyebrow. "Shameless plug much?" She inquired, pulling out her phone.

Pearl puffed out her cheeks. "There's no reason for it to be shameful! She likes that song and we _did_ write it for her, so like, it makes sense it'd bring her down to earth."

"I know, just messing with you." She pulled up the music store on her phone and downloaded two versions of the song: the original and an instrumental, just to be extra safe. "Is there anything else you can think of right now?"

Marina hummed in thought. "I remember her saying she doesn't like the idea of tests in general, but that's less a trigger and more of a sour spot. And I'm sure if she ever saw C.Q. Cumber again she'd definitely go into a panic attack, but she's never going to see _him_ again so that's less of a risk than the others. Other than those, I think that's it."

Three nodded. "Thanks, it's nice to know all that stuff. I...I really want her to be safe, you know?"

Pearl snickered. "Heheh, man, y'all are _too_ cute."

Three blushed. "I-it's mostly her."

The shorter Inkling put a hand to her chest and sighed dramatically. "Gosh, if that doesn't just warm my poor lesbian heart."

Marina laughed. "You're such a sap."

Three stood up and glared at them in embarrassment. "W-Well if you're sure that's it then I guess I'll be going! Nice talking to you about _trauma_ and shiz!" And she made her way to the door.

Marina extended a hand. "Wait, I just remembered one more thing!"

Three turned back to look at her.

"Phone ringing. But like, only if it sounds like an old-timey phone. None of our ringtones sound like that, and we found a way to delete the sound as one of the defaults on hers, but I just felt you should know. Because that one is _definitely_ triggering."

Three turning back towards the door. A memory came to her, of the moment before the goop had possessed her. Only one sound had filled her head when it happened. That sound was the only part of the event that was clear in her mind.

She stopped herself from shuddering. "Yeah. I know."

_'I know.'_


	4. Well-deserved rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight muses during a thunderstorm

It was a peaceful afternoon, and Three had taken the day to spend time with Eight. She was lucky to have gotten over when she did, because the moment she got there it started raining. A downright downpour; the biggest storm they'd gotten since before Eight arrived, even.

As it stood, Pearl and Marina were stuck in the studio, and Three was stuck at the idols' house with Eight. Not that either of them minded that particularly much.

Eight had her face pressed up against a window, mesmerized. "Rain is cool..." She said quietly. "I like rain..."

Three gave a tiny laugh from the couch. "It's nice to look at, but remember that it's kinda dangerous when there's this much of it. You'll start to bleed ink if you're out when it's this heavy."

Eight pouted, still staring out the window. "But don't you have protective clothing for that up here? Rain...coats? Marina and Pearl have some of those for situations like this, I think...and umbrellas, too..."

The Inkling nodded. "I mean, yeah, but unless you're wearing something that covers every single inch of you, it's kinda hard to stay _totally_ dry when it's this bad."

Eight gazed up at the gray clouds through the rain-streaked windowpane. "The sky is pretty, at least. I always thought it was just...bright all the time up here. I don't remember much about my life with the other Octarians, but I'd never even heard of weather before I came up here. I love that the sky changes all the time...I love clouds..."

If Three was being honest with herself, she enjoyed watching the rain fall just as much as her girlfriend did. But, in that particular moment...she was paying much more attention to the Octoling herself, with her wistful, awestruck gaze.

A loud crack shook the air, and Eight flew backwards from the window onto her butt. "W-woah!" She yelped, scurrying back over to the couch. She stared at Three, eyes wide with slight panic. "What was _that_?! Are we under attack?!"

Three shook her head. "No, it was just thunder. When storms are this bad, there's usually a lot of thunder and lightning to go with it."

"Thunder..." The Octoling mumbled to herself, contemplative. "What's lightning then?"

"It's like...a bolt of electricity that comes from the storm clouds. It only lasts a second, but if you're looking for it you might see the lightning strike."

Eight scurried back to the window, staring out into the storm intently.

Three laughed quietly at the sight. She was so curious, and not at all scared of the loud sounds and bright lights. The Inkling had honestly expected her to be intimidated by all the new information, but no. Just wide-eyed and awestruck.

A flash of light caught the Octoling's eye, and she whipped her head around, beaming. "I saw it!! That's so cool, and you said that's _normal_ when you get storms?!"

Three nodded, smiling.

Eight turned back to the window and let out a sigh. "The surface is... _magical_ , Three. Down in the domes, down in the metro, everything was always dark, or fake, or both. But up here...even when it's dark it's...so _beautiful_. I can't believe I ever thought I could live in a world that wasn't this one."

Three felt her hearts beat just a little faster, and she remembered _why_ she fell in love with the Octoling in the first place. "How much _do_ you remember about the domes?" She asked.

Eight looked back at her, smiled, and walked over to the couch to sit with her girlfriend again. "Hmm...not much. Just that everything always looked the same, day in day out. Most domes were dark, and the ones that weren't always had the exact same light level all the time. I...don't remember anything about being a soldier, sorry."

"Wasn't asking about that, it's fine." She replied, rubbing a circle in the Octoling's back.

Eight nodded, and then she looked down. She seemed thoughtful. "I...do remember one thing about my time down there, though. I remember...having some friends. Friends that...well, I don't remember their names. But I remember being really close to them."

Three kept quiet, but also kept her hand on the other's back, a silent expression of continued support.

"There was an Octoling...she...I think we were..." She trailed off, looking a bit guilty. "I...I don't know. All I remember is sharing my bunk with her at one point, and...being happy to have her there."

Three's gaze was a sympathetic one. "Do you think you were...together?"

"That's the issue: I don't _know_. I can suspect all I want, but my mind just refuses to give me the answer to that one. Plus it's...weird to think about. What if I was? What if something happened to her? Did she try to follow me when I left?" She looked down, shaking her head. "I feel like I should be _sad_ , but I'm just _frustrated_."

The Inkling rubbed her back some more. "Who else do you remember?"

There was a moment of silence, the sound of the rain outside filling the space for a moment, and then she spoke again. "An Octocopter."

Three's hand went still. "...what?"

"An Octocopter. I remember having a picnic with him and some other friends. He used his body to shade us, we jokingly called him commander and saluted him. It was...it was funny. It made us happy."

Three had a bizarre look on her face. Eight only noticed it when she realized the other's extended silence. "Three? Is something wrong?"

She seemed to snap out of a daze at the other's words, and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I just...I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but it never occurred to me that Octarians other than Octolings could actually, uh, socialize? I mean, they always seemed more mindless than...urgh, I bet I sound like a jerk right now, I'm sorry."

Eight raised a confused eyebrow. "I mean, as an Octarian that confuses me, but since you're an Inkling a part of me can see where you'd get that impression. Even if it's wrong."

Three gave a nervous laugh. "I mean, I figured if all Octarians has the same level of sentience, some of them would have escaped the domes by now, right? But the only ones that have made it to the surface are _Octolings_."

_That_ made Eight pause. "You know, I never thought about that. That's...do you think that's something we should look into?"

Three shrugged. "Maybe. But not right now. Still raining too hard."

Thunder crackled again, as if to prove a point.

Eight stared out the window once more, quiet and contemplative. "......do you think _he's_ ok?"

"Huh?"

"What if he got stationed at some point after I left? Four would've _killed_ him. She wouldn't have had any reason _not_ to." Eight whispered. "Of all the Octarians at that picnic, _his_ face is the only one I remember. I'm...I'm worried about him..."

Three put her arm around the Octoling's shoulder, pulling her closer. "Hey, we can always ask Octavio. I mean, the last time I was there he tried to interrogate me, and he knew _your_ old name, so maybe he knows your friend by name too. For all his faults, he does seem to care about his people."

Eight rested her head on Three's shoulder. "I hope you're right, Three."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, eyes trained on the window as the rain continued to fall. The only sounds that broke the silence were the infrequent thunderclaps.

Eventually, Eight turned to look up at the Inkling with twinkling eyes. Three felt the movement and looked down at her.

The Octoling always had that admiration in her gaze, but it was particularly potent in that moment. Three felt her face heat up a tad.

Eight smiled at the sight. "Three, can I kiss you?"

Three blushed a bit more at the question, but no nervous noises escaped her for once. "Of _course_ you can." She replied with a smile of her own.

Eight leaned closer and pressed her lips against Three's, smiling into her as the Inkling's arms wrapped around her.

Three's hearts fluttered as the Octoling ran her fingers through her tentacles, and she mirrored the action. She heard a little peep escape her girlfriend as she did so, which made her hearts beat even faster.

It wasn't that long a kiss in the grand scheme of things, but when they pulled away, they were both blushing pretty hard.

Eight was the first to speak. And it wasn't even a word, it was just a little sound of embarrassment that she quickly muffled by smooshing her face into Three's chest.

Three gave a flustered chuckle in response, resting her hand on the back of Eight's head. "Gosh, you make the cutest noises."

Eight could only give another embarrassed meep in reply.

Three laughed, and they proceeded to stay there and cuddle for the next hour as the rain pelted their window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway guys here comes the PLOT hope you don't mind-
> 
> Also the Octocopter Mem cake is my FAVORITE ONE and I won't STAND for the blatant Octocopter buddy erasure within the fic community good GOSH


	5. Group expedition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The agents head to the canyon to find Eight some answers

Four, Three, and Eight all came through the grate one after another, with Eight very nearly falling on her face after them.

The Squid Sisters were already there, sitting by the cabin and apparently having some sort of argument with Octavio.

"Well would you _perhaps_ believe me if I said I was beginning to regret it?!" Octavio snapped.

"No. Not even a little." The Squid Sisters replied in unison.

Octavio massaged his temples. "Well I _am_ , lets just get that out there. Literally all I want is to-" He turned to the trio that had just arrived and his expression changed to something akin to a smile? It was hard to tell when he had no mouth. "Garratia! You're here! And your little crew of troublemakers!"

Eight shifted uncomfortably. "Pl-please don't call me that. That's not who I am..."

Octavio looked troubled by the response. "Still don't remember, huh? That's unfortunate."

Four noticed Eight's unhappy expression, so she tapped her on the shoulder. Once she had the Octoling's attention, she gestured to the still-present Squid Sisters.

The Octoling's eyes began to twinkle. "Oh...oh gosh...oh gosh they're right there..." She whispered in awe.

Callie waved. "Hey Eight! Nice to see you again! It's been a while!"

Marie waved in turn. "Hey."

Eight rushed over to them, Four following with a laugh.

As the Octoling began to talk the Squid Sisters' ears off, Three was left with Octavio. The pair of them shared a glare.

"What do _you_ want?" Octavio growled.

"I need you to tell me what you know about Eight." Three replied, crossing her arms.

"You mean _Garratia_."

"I _said_ Eight, but since that's who she _used_ to be, then technically, yes, I want you to tell me about Garratia's past."

The Octopus leered. "Why do _you_ care about her? I still can't figure that one out. She was an elite guard, you know. One of the best and bravest."

Three rolled her eyes. "Frankly, that's her business to tell, not mine. And I'm only asking _you_ because you're the only one who can help me find her friend."

"Her _friend?"_

"He's one of the few things she remembers. He's an Octocopter. Know him?"

Octavio hummed in thought. A smug look came into his eyes. "He sounds...familiar. I do remember Garratia requesting to have him as a partner, him and Ilkani, I believe. Why should I tell _you_?"

Three's eyes narrowed. "Who's Ilkani?"

Octavio raised a tentacle in faux-horror. "Whaaaaat, don't tell me she didn't tell you about her _girlfriend_?! Isn't that a _shame_!"

Three made a sound of understanding. "Ohhh, that must be the Octoling she said she remembered. Nice, I'm sure she'll be happy to know _her_ name at least." The Inkling smirked. "Thanks, Octavio, I was going to ask about her next, you're so _helpful_."

He slammed his face into the glass, groaning. "I hate you, I hate you _so much_ , you stupid slimy _brat_."

"Feelings mutual. Now, are you going to tell me the Octocopter's name willingly, or are you going to _continue_ to make a fool of yourself?"

Octavio turned his back to the Inkling, huffing. "I'm not telling you anything else. You have _no business_ knowing about Garratia."

Three let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, Octavio, I know you hate me, but can you at least pretend you care about _her_?"

He turned to half-look at her, squinting.

She returned the irritable stare two-fold. "Eight's _terrified_ of you. And I don't blame her, considering the last time she was here you did nothing but yell at her. And you know what? I _hate_ talking to you, after what you did to Inkopolis, what you did to _Callie_ , but I'm putting up with it, because I love her and want to help her. She doesn't remember much, and I'm sure she's going to have memories that escape her forever, but she just has this _one_ person, this _one_ friend that she remembers. And she wants to see if he's ok. And you're the only one that can tell her that."

Octavio was quiet for a long moment, and then he let out a sigh. "I care about her. I care a lot more than I should, frankly. She's only one Octoling out of many, but she disappeared while I was gone and then I finally found her again, and she's like _this_ , and...I just want to know what _happened_ to her. But...she'd rather talk to _them_ than to me." He replied, pointing an annoyed tentacle at the Squid Sisters.

Three raised an eyebrow at him.

He sighed again. "...Benny. His name was _Benny_. Now please, _leave_ me _alone_." He muttered, turning back around.

Three rolled her eyes, frowning at him even though he couldn't see it. "Maybe she'll tell you one day, old man. But it'll be her choice whether you know, not mine." She informed him, and she turned to walk over to the other group.

Meanwhile, Eight was still rambling excitedly. "I, I really love both of your singles, I listen to Tide Goes Out aaaalllll the time and Bomb Rush Blush always gets me motivated, and-and Fresh Start is _amazing_ and-"

Marie made a calming motion with her hands. "Hey, hey, calm down, we aren't going anywhere! It's nice to know you like our music." She laughed.

Callie, meanwhile, hopped up and wrapped the Octoling in a tight hug. "Awww, you're so _cute_ Eight! No wonder Three likes you so much!"

Eight let out a flustered noise.

Four laughed at the Octoling's inability to respond. "Geez Callie, are you trying to give her a heart attack or two?"

"Hey guys, break it up, I've got the information you wanted, Eight." Three interrupted.

Callie reluctantly let Eight go, and after a moment of pouting, Eight turned towards Three. "You did?"

"How'd you get him to talk?" Marie inquired, sounding a little impressed.

Three shrugged. "Clever phrasing and guilt-tripping." She looked down at Eight. "Ok, so first things first: the Octoling you told me you remembered: her name was Ilkani, and yes, she _was_ your girlfriend."

Four and Callie let out a gasp as if Three'd just exposed a scandal, while Eight just looked down with guilt in her eyes. "Oh...I'm, uh, I'm sorry..."

Three put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, there's nothing to feel bad about. That's in the past, and you keep telling me you aren't Garratia. She was Garratia's girlfriend, not yours, right?"

"R-right. I still...feel bad, you know? Like I'm cheating on you by accident."

"Well, maybe we can find her then. Put things to rest and all that, ok?"

Eight nodded quietly. "Yeah...what about the Octocopter?"

"Octavio said his name is Benny."

Eight was silent for a moment before her eyes slowly widened. "Benny...Benny!" Her eyes lit up. "Benny! Best friend Benny!" Tears began to gather in her eyes, and she put a hand to her face. "We...we got up to so much trouble! A-and then I got to...got to be an Elite, and...we didn't...didn't get to spend as much time...together..." A sad smile blossomed upon her face. "...Benny had terrible aim..."

Four gave a thoughtful hum. "In my experience, most Octocopters do."

Eight beamed, tears running down her face. "Oh but Benny was _especially_ bad! Everyone who knew him came up with a different nickname as a joke. Uh, Bad Shot Benny, Target Practice...I always called him Commander, though."

Three gave a sad smile of her own. "Do you think he's..."

Eight took a deep breath. "I'm...not sure. I'm...there's a large part of me that says he was _with me_ when I heard the Inkantation, but...that doesn't give me any idea as to where he is _now_."

Callie looked at Marie. "Hmm....well if he heard the song, I doubt he stayed where he'd get deployed to fight, so I doubt Four got him." She mumbled.

Four gave a sigh of relief. "Oh thank Cod, I don't think I'd ever be able to live it down if I splatted your bud."

Eight grasped Three's hand. She had a determined look in her eyes. "Then that leaves only one option. I need to ask around."

Three regarded her first with surprise, and then with concern. "Are...are you sure?"

Eight nodded. "Yes, absolutely sure. The three of us can go into the domes and ask around. They wouldn't attack me, and if I vouch for you and Four then I can probably convince them you're ok too. I mean, I _was_ an Elite and all." She fished around in her pocket and pulled out her phone. "Plus, I have Calamari Inkantation on my phone! So I can play it if we need to free anyone else!"

Three and Four looked at each other, then back at Eight. Shared one last glance at one another, and nodded.

Four hopped up and clenched a fist in front of her. "I'm in. No way in shell I'm missing out on the hunt of the century!"

Three smiled. "And you don't even need to _ask_ for my help. I'd probably follow you anywhere."

Eight got a little teary-eyed, but wiped it away. She stowed her phone, and turned to the Squid Sisters. "U-um, can I ask you both a favor? I-if it isn't too much trouble!"

Marie rolled her eyes. "Eight, we're friends. It's not a crime to ask your friends for things."

"Yeah!" Callie added. "We'd be happy to!"

The Octoling appeared to have a small breakdown upon hearing that, but once she got over it, she glanced back at Octavio. He was staring at her.

She turned away awkwardly. "Can you tell him...that I'm sorry? For leaving how I did."

Everyone seemed taken aback by that. But after they saw the guilty look on her face, no one had the heart to question her.

"...of course. We can definitely do that for you." Marie informed her, glancing in Octavio's direction.

Eight let out a sigh of relief, and grabbed Marie's hand firmly with both of her own. "Thank you. I'd... _never_ be able to tell him myself."

Callie gave a nod of understanding, and with a final wave, the agents made their way to the domes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway guys since Ilkani and Benny are implied to exist in-game (not by those names but my point still stands) am I allowed to tag them as OCs or no?? I need to know this for reasons
> 
> Anyway implications of characters are my favorite kinda characters


	6. An adventure in the domes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight works her magic while Three and Four watch

The trio entered the first dome, their tentacles all turning that same shade of turquoise. Eight stood out from the pair of them; while Three and Four were both wearing their hero suits and held weapons (Hero Shot for Three, Hero Dualies for Four), Eight was still wearing her comfy clothes, and was unarmed. They'd offered to lend her a weapon, but she had refused, firmly asserting that she didn't want to give off the wrong impression to her fellow Octarians.

They progressed through the dome, which was uncharacteristically empty, until they were about halfway through. Eight frowned, puffed out her cheeks, and changed her ink color so it matched that of the other Octarians. Then, she called out something in the language of her people.

_"Hey! Hey! Where is everyone?!"_ She yelled in Octarian. There was silence for a few long, tense moments, before a blubbering sound called out in reply. Her eyes lit up.

"There's a 'Trooper here!" She cheered to the other pair, before excitedly swimming off in the direction of the sound.

Three and Four carefully followed, still having to ink the ground themselves, but now having to deal with Eight being the enemy color.

Eight found the Octotrooper first. He was hiding behind a pillar, without his weaponized stand and gun. He peered out from his hiding place, and when he saw Eight, he did a double-take."

_"Wh-what?! Since when are elites stationed here?! M-ma'am, I'm sorry I'm not on duty, I-I didn't mean to-_ " He rambled fast, bowing nervously to Eight.

Eight waved her hands to shush the blubbering Octarian, giving what she hoped was a reassuring laugh. _"Hey, hey, calm down, I'm not an elite, and you aren't in any trouble!"_

He blinked. _"Not...an elite?"_

_"Not an elite."_

_"But...you look like one."_

It's then that the other two agents caught up with her. The expression that came into the Octotrooper's face then could only be described as pure, unadulterated terror. He let out a garbled cry of fear and turned to run.

Eight cried something out at him, and he stopped, asking something in reply.

The Octoling turned to her friends. "Could you guys put down your weapons?"

Four shrugged and complied, but Three squinted. "I will, but can I ask why?"

"I told him that you aren't going to attack him for no reason, but he doesn't believe me. All he's ever heard about Inklings is that they're killing machines."

Three grimaced, then carefully set her Hero Shot on the ground.

The Octotrooper observed with hesitance for a moment, then his look changed to one of morbid curiosity. He said something to Eight that made her have to stifle a laugh, and she replied in turn. He said something back, and she shook her head.

_"Ok, definitely not him either. Haven't you heard? Octavio's been caught again. And he probably won't be escaping this time."_

The Octotrooper shot a confused look in the agents' direction. _"Then...I must be missing something. What are you here for, exactly?"_

Eight pulled out her phone, scrolled through her music, and played the Calamari Inkantation. _"Is this song familiar to you at all?"_

The Octotrooper was silent as he listened, and his eyes got progressively wider the longer it went on. It was like his world was shattering before his eyes.

_"Wha...you...this, this can't be true. You can't be serious, we...we..."_ He mumbled in disbelief.

Eight leaned down, patting his head. _"We've been lied to. He lied to us all. You are no less a fool than I was."_

Three and Four continued to stare awkwardly as the Octarian conversation marched on. Three's gaze kept darting down to her weapon, unsure if she was allowed to pick it back up. It felt...unnatural to leave it on the ground for too long.

"Man, it's times like this that make me wish I knew Octarian, am I right?" Four remarked.

Three heaved a sigh. "Definitely. I'll have to have Eight teach me sometime."

Four wiggled her eyebrows. "Yeah. Gonna get a _'private lesson'_ with Eight~" She snarked. "I'm sure she'd _loooove_ to teach you all about-"

Three shoved her hand into the side of the other's face, turning bright blue in embarrassment. "Dude you made fun of me enough _before_ we got together, could you, perhaps, maybe, _possibly_ consider knocking it off?"

Four snickered, but didn't answer her.

"Four I will throw you into the void-"

The Octotrooper squinted at the bickering Inklings. _"Is that, um, normal? What are they saying?"_

Eight laughed a little. _"They're engaging in friendly banter, that's all. It's nothing to worry about."_

The Octotrooper shuddered. _"I've heard tales of their violence...and most often it seemed to be done in indifference. It...frightens me to imagine an Inkling genuinely angry."_

_"I've...seen Three angry once before. It_ is _a frightening sight. But I swear to you, she does not hate our kind. She and I...are partners. She'd never hurt me, and with my blessing, she'd never hurt you. She is safe."_

The pair of Octarians shared a few more words with one another, culminating with the smaller one giving a determined nod and running off. Eight waved as she watched him go.

Once he was out of sight, Three quickly snatched her Hero Shot off the ground. Four did the same, though not as hastily.

Eight let out a sigh. "Ok, so here's the verdict: there aren't any Octocopters stationed or living here, but that fellow said he'd grab as many other Octarians as he can find and bring them to the dome's exit. He wants his friends to hear the Inkantation."

Three's eyes widened. "Huh. Are we gonna wait for them, or come back later?"

"I was kinda hoping we could get the Squid Sisters to sing? But if they can't do that now we can always come back. He said no one really has any pressing issues since Octavio's kinda gone, so they wouldn't mind waiting if they needed to."

Four pulled out her phone. "Sweet, I'll text Marie and see if she's up for it." She smirked to herself. "Can't imagine why she wouldn't, it'd annoy Octavio and she would be _so_ down for anything with _that_ end result. Heck, I kinda wanna stay behind and watch her do that, it'd be sick and hilarious."

Three's eyes widened for a brief moment, and then she got a smirk of her own. "You know what I think, I think you just want an excuse to see Marie more."

Four paused her typing for a second, then rolled her eyes and resumed. "If you're trying to get back at me for teasing you, you're gonna have to try harder than that. That was weak."

Three stopped herself from frowning. "What, me? Poke fun at my friend about her obvious crush? Nooo, I would never." Her voice gained a sarcastic edge. "What kind of friend would eeeeevvveeeer do something like that?"

Four laughed. "Man, put that away or you'll _hurt_ someone!" She tapped away at her phone. "Also, I don't have a crush, and even if I do, it's not obvious."

The other agent leered at her. "Suuuuuuure."

Eight blinked. "Did I...miss something?"

Four snorted. "Maybe. Nothing that's my business to tell, though."

"Oh so _now_ you're minding your own business."

"Give it a rest, Three. I'm untouchable."

The long-haired agent groaned.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day making their way though dome after dome, seeking out Octarians who might have known Ilkani or Benny by name. It seemed most of the lower-ranking troops hadn't heard the Inkantation, unfortunately, so Eight got a lot of mileage off her music player. Her poor phone was beginning to die.

But no matter how hard they searched, there seemed to be no sign of Benny anywhere, or any sign of anyone that had even heard of him. Luck was the same for Ilkani.

They eventually had to move on to Suction-Cup Lookout, with the same tedious results, with the added 'bonus' that Eight's phone was dead by now. That and there were still a good few agro Octarians in the Lookout. Took a lot of convincing to get _them_ to chill.

They eventually, by the end of the day, managed to get to the last dome of Suction-Cup Lookout...

Four paled a little upon seeing it. "Uh, last time I was here I got ambushed by a bunch of Octolings."

Three's eyes widened slightly, not in surprise, but more in understanding. "Oh, one of those domes, huh? There's usually at least one in every sector."

Eight just stared silently before diving into it. And when she came out on the other side, tentacles turquoise again, she was ambushed almost immediately.

The Octoling knocked her to the ground, pressed an Octoshot to her throat, and hissed. _"Don't move! Don't dare! I'll kill you if you...if you...what...?"_ The vitriol in her voice faded fast when she saw Eight's face. Her hand shook, and Eight put a hand on the weapon pushing into her neck. She let out a cough.

Eight took a moment to observe her attacker. Her tentacles were larger than her own, reddish purple in color, like most Octarian ink, but with dark red tips. The the whites of her eyes were ever-so-slightly green-tinted. Her irises were dark, dark purple. She looked horrified, petrified, and lots of other adjectives and emotions that Eight couldn't quite place.

_"Pl-please, stop...you're choking me."_ Eight wheezed out, trying to move the gun on her neck.

Before the other Octoling could react, Three burst out of the spawn point, knocking her to the ground. Murder shown in her eyes. "Don't you _dare_ touch her." She growled, not that the Octoling could understand her. She pressed a foot to her chest, keeping her there.

Eight managed to scramble up, and when she did, she swiftly pushed Three away. "Th-Three, it's ok! She wasn't going to hurt me!"

Three squinted, keeping her hand firmly in place on her gun. "She had an Octoshot on your neck."

"Yeah, but she was hesitating!" She turned to the other Octoling, extending a careful hand. _"Do you need help up?"_ She asked in Octarian.

The Octoling looked panicked. _"Wh-what's going on? Why are you here? Why are you with them?!"_ She screeched, refusing to take the offered hand.

Eight's eyes widened. _"Wait, do you know who I am? That's great!"_ She grabbed the Octoling's hand on her own and pulled her up, beaming.

The Octoling hastily stepped away after being pulled to her feet, looking rather uncomfortable. _"Why wouldn't I? You may be wearing.......whatever those are, but I'd never forget your eyes. You were...my friend, my leader, my..."_

_"Oh, um. F-funny story about that, I'm not_ technically _part of the army anymore...so, like..._ _I'm not really_ anyone's _leader anymore..._ _"_ She scratched the back of her head in embarrassment and let out a cough. _"I...don't remember all that much from...when I was, it's a long story, so, um, I don't know if I_ knew _you, but I don't anymore. Could you tell me your name? I'm actually looking for people I used to know."_

The Octoling looked visibly hurt by the remark. _"You...no, that's not...no..."_ Her eyes darted back to Three, and the other agent that had joined her in standing awkwardly on the spawn point. _"No...you'd never...can they speak Octarian?"_

_"No, but I'm hoping to teach them at some point."_

The Octoling took a deep breath, pushed past Eight, and glared the pair of armed Inklings down.

Their hands clenched around their weapons, ready in case the Octoling tried anything.

A mere moment later, a long string of Octarian curses left her mouth, her face reddening in anger as she spat out swear after swear.

Three and Four looked genuinely taken aback, able to guess that they were being cussed out if only for the fierce and forceful intonation the other was using.

And, for a moment, Eight looked just as shocked. She'd never heard that many curse words in one sentence before. But...then she heard the last thing out of the other's mouth. And she paled. Because...oh no.

_"-and what the_ **_SHELL_** _did you do to my girlfriend?!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't like swear words....so I'm just going to creatively work around writing them lol. I think I'm the only person who's Three doesn't swear rip


	7. Familiar guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A difficult conversation goes down

".......Ilkani?"

The Octoling's angry yelling stopped. She turned back to Eight slowly, tears burning the corner of her eyes. _"You said you didn't know who I was."_

_"O-Octavio told me. I mean, he told Three and she told me."_ She pointed at the Inkling.

Three's eyes widened. "Wait, this is her? What was she yelling about?"

Ilkani bore her teeth. _"Why would you ever associate with those murderers?!"_ She turned back to them again, pressing an accusatory finger into Three's chest. _"The shell did you do to her?!"_

Three's eyes narrowed, and she used her Hero Shot to move the other's hand away. "Eight, what is she saying now?"

"She-" She began in Inkling, only to be cut off by Ilkani yelling some more.

_"Garratia, what are you doing with them?! You gotta come with me, everyone's been worried sick!"_ She shouted, grabbing Eight by the arm.

Three grabbed her other arm, growling. "Don't you _dare_ touch her! Eight, what is she trying to do?!"

"I-"

_"Get your slimy hands off my girlfriend!"_

"Let Eight go!"

Eight had just about had enough. She ripped her arms free from both of them and shouted, loudly, in Octarian. _"I am not going to be an interpreter for a conversation I'm part of!!"_

Ilkani looked taken aback, and Three looked confused.

Eight repeated herself, in Inkling, calmly this time. "I...I'm not going to be an interpreter...in a conversation that I'm part of. I'm getting frustrated."

Three nodded in understanding. "That's fair. We need someone else who speaks both."

Ilkani crossed her arms. _"I just want to understand why you'd ever want to associate with them. You don't need a translator for that."_

Eight sighed in exasperation. _"But I do. Because otherwise, I'm having two conversations at once and it's driving me crazy."_

She grabbed Ilkani's hand. _"Would you please come with us? Please? You...deserve to know what happened to me, and I'd like to know who you were to me."_

Ilkani's eyes darted from Eight's face, down to their held hands, and she blushed. _"I...Garratia...I...I don't understand."_

Eight gave her a pleading look.

Ilkani's resolve faltered. _"But...I want to. I'll...trust you, Garratia. Even if you're crazy."_

Eight blissfully ignored the last comment. She turned to Four, who'd been standing there fourth-wheeling the entire time. "Four, can you text Marie again? I need her to get our translator ready."

Four nodded, getting her phone out.

Three raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you actually know someone else who speaks both Octarian and Inklish?"

Eight smiled. "I know at least _three_."

* * *

About a half hour later, the three agents, Ilkani, and Marina sat on the ground by Cuttlefish Cabin. The sun had begun to set in the distance, and an awkward silence hung over the group.

The Squid Sisters had left to go on a concert tour of all the domes that needed the Inkantation so far, so it was only the agent's and spare Octolings there. And Octavio, but no one really cared about Octavio.

Ilkani glared daggers at Three and Four. Eight coughed nervously and looked between her and her friends. _"S-so, Ilkani, what did you want to know?"_ She asked after a long pause.

Not breaking eye contact, she replied. _"Why the shell you're give half a clam about these two degenerates."_

Marina rolled her eyes. "She says that she thinks the both of you are horrible people and wants to know why Eight cares about you." She supplied.

Four almost looked hurt, but Three just scoffed and silently gave Eight a look.

Eight swallowed. _"Well...I have amnesia. I kind of mentioned that before..."_

_"Yeah, and? What's that have to do with them?"_

_"Well, I don't remember anything about Three from when I was part of the army, but...the first time I saw her, after the amnesia thing? Was when she saved my life."_

Ilkani was quiet for a moment. _"Ok...life debt. I can understand that, from at least a 'respect' perspective. But that doesn't explain why you'd care about the other one."_

Eight gave a sheepish look. _"B-because she's my friend and she's never done anything to hurt me...?"_

Ilkani drug a hand down the side of her face. _"You big sentimental idiot. Acting like that'll get you stabbed in the back. Don't you remember_ anything _from basic training?"_

Marina cut in. _"The surface is nowhere near as brutal as Octavio says it is, for the record. Friendship is not dangerous."_

She gave a sideways glare. _"Could you point and show me where I asked for your opinion?"_ She snapped pointedly.

Marina sighed, whispering to the Inklings. "She's very paranoid. Thinks you'll backstab Eight."

Three leered. "For the record, I'd rather die than hurt her again. But whatever, she's entitled to that opinion, considering all the damage we're responsible for."

Four coughed nervously. "Uh, can you tell her that we're sorry, maybe? Or at least I am. Knowing Eight, I feel kinda bad for splatting as many of her, uh, people as I did."

Marina relayed the message, and Ilkani gave a dry laugh. _"Ha! Classic Inkling, thinking a few words can undo the damage of countless actions! Tell she can stuff it!"_ She chided.

Marina did so, but Eight frowned at Ilkani. _"W-we aren't here to talk about that. I...I want to know. Were we...actually together? Were you my girlfriend?"_ She felt a pit grow in her stomach at having to say the words aloud, and she desperately hoped the answer was no.

The look on Ilkani's face, however, confirmed that her hopes were in vain. Her eyes went soft, she gave a small smile, and she blushed a tad. _"Yeah...yeah I was."_

Eight looked down at her hands. _"Ah. I see."_ She shifted uncomfortably. _"I...what did you do when I left?"_

Ilkani averted her gaze. _"That...that doesn't matter. What matters is that you're back, a-and we can be together again."_ She moved a little closer to Eight, resting a hand on her arm and looking at her with desperate eyes. _"We've...got a lot to catch up on, you know..."_

Eight gulped, removing the Octoling's hand. _"I...I'm sorry, but...ah..."_ She turned to Three and shot her a pleading look.

Three scooted a towards Eight and held her hand. She made direct eye contact with Ilkani, hoping to get a message across.

The Octoling leered. _"Tell your friend to back off. I don't trust her around you."_ She said lowly, wrapping both arms around Eight's arm.

Marina shot Three a look. "I'd be careful, Three. She seems to be possessive." She then turned to Eight, gaze sympathetic and full of concern. "Eight, you need to tell her you've moved on."

Eight looked like she was panicking. She wanted to, she really did, but something in her was afraid of letting Ilkani down. Was that her old self talking? It wasn't a matter of choosing one over the other, she knew she loved Three more than this old stranger...but she didn't want to have to say it. It was an awkward thing to say. She _hated_ saying awkward things.

She wriggled her arm out of Ilkani's grasp. The Octoling looked a little hurt, but mostly confused. _"Garratia?"_

Eight clenched her free hand into a fist, staring Ilkani in the eye. _"That's not my name."_

_"...what?"_

Eight's eyes glistened with tears _. "That name...is who I used to be. And...I'm not her anymore. I don't know...when it happened, maybe it was when I heard the song, maybe when I lost my memory, but...I think Garratia is dead, Ilkani. I'm Eight now. And, and, Garratia might have been your girlfriend, but I didn't know that when I came up here, and I, I don't want to lead you on, Ilkani."_

Ilkani's pupils shrank. She stared straight ahead, looking in Eight's direction, but not really _at_ her. _"Oh...my cod. You really did go crazy."_ She whispered in horror.

Eight blinked in confusion, her sad look keeping hold on her face. She gripped Three's hand tighter _. "What are you talking about?"_

_"That song scrambled your brain...I thought something was up, you just decided to leave, a-and told me that you'd only stay with me if I followed you. I...what did that song do to you?!"_

Eight looked hurt. Marina quickly filled the Inklings in as the conversation continued. _"I...the Calamari Inkantation freed us from mind control! It didn't_ brainwash _me!"_ Eight yelped back.

Ilkani leered, still looking mortified. _"That's what you think?! I...you and I were thick as thieves, but you go to one concert and suddenly I have to choose between you and my home?! I'm not the one who went off the deep end, Garratia!"_

The other Octoling's eyes slowly widened in realization. _"Wait a minute. You said I made you choose...and you stayed? Did I hear that right?"_ She asked, voice low.

Ilkani squinted, arms crossed. _"Yeah, and? Why would I leave my home to follow the whims of a crazy person."_

_"We broke up."_ She replied simply.

A bead of sweat ran down the side of Ilkani's face. _"Uh..."_

Eight stood up, anger beginning to paint her features. _"You kept saying I was your girlfriend and getting all possessive, but that wasn't true! It hasn't been true since I left!"_ She shouted, face heating up _. "You heard I had amnesia and wanted to manipulate me into thinking that we never broke up!"_

Marina stood as well, backing away and pulling Three and Four with her. "Oh dear, we'd better stay out of this. This isn't going to be pretty."

Three stared at the angry Octoling and felt herself begin to panic. "What's going on? Why is she so mad? I've never seen her mad before."

The Octoling grimaced. "They apparently broke up? But since Eight has amnesia Ilkani kept that to herself in the hopes that Eight would still be with her."

Four looked confused. "That seems like not a lot for as much shouting as I'm hearing." She commented, seeing the other pair of Octolings screaming at each other.

The idol shot her a look. "Well the last time someone tried to manipulate her and she went along with it she almost got _blended_."

"Oof, never mind, yelling justified." Four replied, crossing her arms and staring at the arguing pair.

Eight shouted, clenching a fist before pointing at Ilkani. The Octoling leapt to her feet and pressed a finger into Eight's chest, hissing out an accusation.

"What are they saying now?!" Four squeaked.

Marina's eyes widened. "Oh, uh, I'm having trouble keeping up, but uh..." She was quiet for a moment as she tried to focus on what the pair were saying. "Well that's a creative- oh dear, I think Ilkani's getting defensive now. Says Eight used to say that she was the best thing that ever happened to her." Marina grimaced. "If she's breaking out lines like _that_ , she's probably pretty desperate."

Three was only half paying attention to the commentary. It physically hurt, seeing Eight as mad as she was. She wanted to help, but...there was nothing that she could do.

_"You lied to me! I don't CARE how happy you might have made me in the past, you CLEARLY don't care about me enough now to tell me the truth!"_ Eight shouted, bearing her teeth.

_"I thought maybe you'd come to your senses! But you're still just as insane as when you left! Every single Octoling that went to that concert up and left without a trace, and you know what? I lost so many friends that day, not just you!"_ She shouted back, eyes beginning to fill with tears. _"And you're still missing your 'best friend' so you clearly didn't care enough about him to keep him safe when he followed you! He trusted you!"_

Eight's glare lessened for a moment. _"B...Benny followed me? You're talking about him, right?"_ She whispered in disbelief.

The reply only made Ilkani angrier _. "Oh, so you remember him, little miss forgetful, how nice! So you remember what happened to him between now and then, huh, do you? Do you?!"_

_"N-no, I, I came to the Canyon to try and find him, I-"_

_"Exactly! He never came back! Neither of you did, no matter how long all of us waited!"_ Her fists shook. _"You idiot! You were both so stupid, impulsive, you left on a whim and stuck together like glue, and look what happened!"_ She looked like she was going to start bawling, and that frightened Eight more than any harsh words she'd heard so far. _"N-now you're back, j-just to make fun of me, and you couldn't even keep track of Benny while you were gone! You idiot!"_

Eight felt, deep within herself, that Ilkani's words were not spoken as insults. Like this was something she'd said to her before, in...a different light.

She'd been, she _was_ still...she was _afraid_.

That's all this was. Fear, trying to find some way to force itself out of the brash, fierce Octoling soldier.

And when she realized that, it was like all the anger she was feeling just melted away. Well, not really, she was still mad, but it lessened to the point that she didn't think she could bear to yell at the other anymore.

She took a step towards Ilkani.

The Octoling stepped back. _"Don't, don't you dare get any closer! I'm warning you!"_

Another step, this time Ilkani didn't move away.

_"Stop! Wh-what are you trying to pull?!"_ She cried. She put up her arms defensively.

Eight slowly, steadily, wrapped the other in a hug. Ilkani was deathly still for a moment, until her eyes were brimming with tears. She let out a choked sob _. "Wh-wha...what are you *hic* doing, you idiot?"_

Eight held her tighter. _"Apologizing."_ She let out a sigh. _"I'm sorry I left the way I did. I don't remember much about my time here, but I do remember that you and Benny made me happy. I've been so much happier since I made it to the surface, but...I'm sorry I made you worry about me. I think...back then, I might not have left if I'd known how upset you've been."_

Ilkani sniffled. She began to cry harder, wrapping her arms around Eight as her body shook with her sobs.

Marina smiled a sad smile as she continued to translate. Four looked away awkwardly, and Three waited with baited breath for the pair to continue.

Ilkani sobbed some more, forcing out what little words she could. _"You...big...idiot..."_ She hugged her tighter. _"What...are, *sniff* are you even...are you saying...are you saying you...?"_

Eight let out a sigh. _"I will not lie to you, Ilkani. I've moved on. I've found someone else. But...I wouldn't be opposed to being your friend again. I remember your face, smiling up at me when I was sad. You knew me then. I'd like to get to know you now, as the new me."_

Ilkani sniffled, and pulled away. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was runny, but she looked happy despite it all. _"Yeah...I think I'd like that, Garratia."_

_"Eight, please."_

_"Right, Eight. Yeah...that's weird, I'm not gonna lie."_ She rubbed her nose. _"That's a dumb name."_

Eight laughed. _"Honestly, yeah. I think I eventually want to come up with a different one, but this is just what I'm going by for now."_

Ilkani gave a small nod. _"I...I can work with that. Um, can I ask who you're, uh,_ with _now?"_

Eight gave her a look. _"You aren't gonna like the answer."_

She laughed. _"I think I can handle it."_

Eight proceeded to point at Three.

Three raised an eyebrow. "Why is Eight pointing at me?"

"Ilkani wanted to know who she'd been replaced with." Marina replied.

"Uh, what is she saying now?"

"...hold me back."

Eight and Marina immediately rushed to grab Ilkani's arms, holding her in place so she couldn't rip Three to shreds. Ilkani yelled something at her.

Eight blushed. "Ah, sh-she says you're lucky to have me and if you break my hearts she'll kill you." She translated.

Three shrugged. "Wasn't planning on taking any chances."

There was a moment of quiet, during which Ilkani stilled. She turned to look at Eight. _"G...Eight?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"What are we gonna do about Benny?"_

Eight swallowed, thoughtful, and then her eyes shown with resolve. _"We'll find him. I don't know how, but we'll find him."_

Ilkani smirked. _"Now there's the captain I remember."_

Meanwhile, Four, focused as ever, sent a funny picture to Marie. She'd surely laugh when she saw it later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh Ilkani is a weird character to write lol hope you guys like her


	8. Benny's Quest, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months ago, the day of the fall...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oc sideplot??? Oc sideplot. Octocopter rights y'all

She'd...told him to wait for her. She was going to check if the coast was clear. That...had been half an hour ago. And the fighting sounds had stopped, like, fifteen minutes ago. He didn't want to assume the worst, but...

Benny peeked his head out from behind the rock. No one. Nothing, nothing more than the splatters of ink on the ground from the fight. Reddish purple, Octarian color, and bright neon green, that of... _that_ Inkling.

All Octarians recognized the preferred color of their mortal enemy. But what was _she_ doing all the way out here?

Benny paced about, trying to figure out what had happened. The ink didn't give him any idea as to who won, and he doubted they fell in the big hole. He knew Garratia well, she wasn't clumsy, and if that Inkling's prowess in infiltrating their old home was any indication, then she probably wasn't clumsy either.

The longer he stared down into the hole, though, the more he began to worry. What if she _did_ fall in? Anything could happen in the heat of battle. And...it would explain why she hadn't come back. But surely...hmm...he wasn't sure, but it was worth investigating, right?

He leaned forward, peering down into the depths. He couldn't see the bottom...it was like it was a void that absorbed all light...

He would've missed the sound of the rustling bush behind him, but he was on edge, and the slightest noise made him panic.

What he saw when he whipped around was no bird foraging, no. It was a tall figure, dressed in what he'd call a hazmat suit if he'd known the word, gripping some weapon in their hands. It was like a syringe made into an ink weapon.

He hastily turned his propeller hat back on, flying above the figure and trying to put some distance between them. He didn't know who or what they were, but as an Octarian and a fugitive, odds were good that _whoever_ they were, they did not mean him well.

The figure propelled off the ground as if super jumping, and grabbed Benny by the leg.

"Hey, let me go!" He yelled. The figure did not comply, and their weight began to drag the Octocopter down.

Benny began to panic. At their current trajectory, they'd both fall into the pit. He shot a bullet of ink at the figure, and the proximity was enough to compensate for his bad aim. The figure's grip on his leg loosened, and Benny managed to shake them loose.

Foolishly, he stuck around for a moment to watch them fall. Into the pit they went...

The Octocopter turned, unsure of where to go. He wanted to wait a bit longer for Garratia, in case she hadn't fallen down, but...he could always go back for reinforcements. There were plenty of other Octarians who had heard the song, so-

His deliberation was cut off by a shot of ink, laser-targeted in accuracy, flying out of the pit and making direct contact with his propeller.

It collided with the machinery in a small explosion of sparks and ink, and he went spinning towards the ground. Or, that _was_ the direction he was headed, but then the ground gave way to cliff-face, and soon he was headed straight off the cliff.

He wrestled the air for control, or at least _tried_ to for a solid minute, before he truly began to fear for his life. He flew headfirst into the side of the cliff, and he was out like a light.

* * *

He awoke to the smell of smoke, and a quickly fading sunset. He pulled himself to his feet, and noticed immediately that his head felt like it was on fire.

After a brief moment of panicked stillness, he violently shook his head, dislodging the smoldering, broken propeller helmet. It was completely ruined. There'd be no way to fix it.

He spat some ink on the ground and stuck his face in it. It was all he could do to ease the burn at that moment.

Once he didn't feel like melting, he kicked the helmet off he ledge he was on, watching as it rolled haphazardly down the mountainside. He'd say 'good riddance,' but he was too annoyed at being land-bound now.

He peered over the ledge. It wasn't _too_ steep, all things considered. He could slide down if he needed to. He looked up next; there weren't enough footholds for him to get back up. And even if there were, climbing wasn't exactly any Octocopter's strong suit. They had those propeller helmets for a reason. Multiple reasons really, but that was definitely one of them.

He let out a sigh. Down it was, then.

He carefully set a foot down on the loose soil, and then the other foot. He began to slide, just slow enough that he wouldn't begin to tumble uncontrollably. It was times like these that made him wish he had arms.

As he slowly made his way down, he observed his surroundings. This side of Mount Nantai was almost completely barren, aside from...

He squinted. That looked like...some sort of...floating village on the water? That...what was that?

He thought back, long and hard, to maps he'd seen of the area. And by _maps_ , he meant _map_ , singular. And by _seen_ , he meant _glanced_ at in passing. If he thought about it hard enough, _maybe_ he recognized it. Maybe? Kinda sorta?

No. No he had no idea where he was or what that village was.

Either way, it was all he had to go on if he didn't want to live in the wilderness. He could only hope it wasn't filled with Inklings.

Benny continued to slide down the mountainside, just an Octocopter without the copter part. It was humiliating.

It took a good while to actually get to the bottom, and by the time he did, darkness had claimed the area. He had good night vision, being an Octarian, but it was probably best to camp for the night.

Without supplies of any kind, all he could do was ink a bunch of dirt and hope it deterred anything from getting him. He curled up in the middle of his ink puddle, and slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's gonna be a few of these but there're interspersed between normal chapters...don't worry guys this story's still mostly about canon characters. These chapters are just me having a bit of fun with Benny's character lol...gotta make the audience care about the lost friend. Hopefully you guys end up liking him as much as I do!


	9. New mem-ries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight feels poetic

A set of Mem Cakes were laid out on the table in front of her. She hummed thoughtfully.

Eight didn't know why exactly, but reuniting with Ilkani was making her think about her Mem Cakes again. She'd went through every test down there, regained much of what was taken from her, but...

She turned to the other items on the table. Several sheets of paper; one blank, and the other bearing a list.

All the tests she hadn't been able to complete. The fourteen trials she couldn't do, no matter how hard she tried. Marina had had to hack the system for her, if only so she could _pretend_ she'd triumphed over everything the Metro had thrown her way.

She looked over her list...

• C04- Move It Move It Station  
• C08- Right Round Station  
• D07- Targetbuster Station  
• E08- Da Bomb Station  
• F03- Pop Star Station  
• F05- Popalicious Station  
• F08- Jump Station  
• G02- Hasta La Vista Station  
• G05- Bustalicious Station  
• I05- Righteous Rail Station  
• I06- All Eyez Station  
• I09- Poppin' Fresh Station  
• J03- Girl Power Station  
• J05- Stick 'n' Move Station

She frowned. She wasn't good with target crates or balloons, apparently...

She shook her head, annoyed at the memories that surfaced from reading over her fourteen failures. Thinking about them wasn't why she'd made the list. The stations themselves weren't the focus here.

The fact that she had fourteen memories that would forever escape her _was_.

And it wasn't so much that she knew what she was missing at all. She didn't, and that somehow made it easier to bear; the problem was more that...she had holes in that part of her past...that made her wonder if she _should_ miss it.

What if she _had_ managed to get all her memories back? Would she know what had happened to Benny? Would she be able to hold a conversation with Octavio without panicking? Would...would she care about Three as much as she did?

Or would she still be in love with Ilkani?

She shook herself off again. Dwelling on her past wouldn't help her much now. If she wanted those Mem Cakes, she'd have to go get them, and she'd rather die than go back down there.

She held one of the Mem Cakes she'd set out up to her face, scrutinizing it. It was the one that looked like Pearl. The poem she'd written for it back then, it had been about what she'd known of the other up to that point, and no more. It was strange, like that Cake in particular had been crafted specifically because she'd formed an impression of the other _while she was down there_. Marina's wasn't like that: she'd heard of her escape, used it to inspire her own. She knew about Marina before the Metro.

Eight hummed as she looked over Pearl's Mem Cake some more. Hmm...it may have escaped her when she'd gotten it...but she'd made that memory herself, as her, not as Garratia. She'd been making new memories the whole time she'd been up on the surface. Maybe they didn't all have Mem Cakes to go with them, but surely the principle was the same, right?

She set Pearl's Cake down on the blank sheet of paper, near the top. She got out a pencil...

_ Enthusiasm and thrown shade _  
_ To those she loves, she's wild and proud _

Eight spent about five minutes trying to think of a fitting last line. The last word would probably be 'fade,' but she was having trouble with everything before that. Hmm...

"Spitting rhymes, her smile won't fade?" She pondered aloud. "No, no that doesn't sound right..."

She knew Pearl a lot _better_ now, it really shouldn't have been as hard as it was to come up with something...

She scribbled something down on the paper.

_ Protective, strong; her fire can't fade _

She smiled, satisfied with that. She drew a tiny Pearl next to the poem.

She moved on to another Mem Cake: Marina's. She knew the other Octoling by more than just her legacy now. Perhaps she could rewrite that poem too?

She put the pencil to paper...

...and proceeded to stare at it for a minute or two, trying to think of something. She knew so many things now, she was having trouble sorting through them all...what was the most important thing about Marina? What stood out the most?

_From escape worth more than just a shot_

She scratched out the line. Nine syllables, when she usually used eight. Hmph, a shame, she really liked the rhythm of that one.

She thought a little harder...

_Inspiration from deep below_  
_Your legend followed, up above_  
_You've given me a mother's love_

"Hmm...I like that last bit...but..." It was still weird to acknowledge the fact that she'd been all but adopted by Pearl and Marina, but the last line of the verse felt right. Even so, she really wasn't feeling too strongly about the other two lines. "Ugh, why am I having trouble with this today..."

She scratched out all three lines. One good bit wasn't enough to salvage a bad start. The whole thing needed to be right. Marina deserved as much.

She tried again...

_Connected in another way_  
_Drawn, familiar, like gravity_  
_You're home to me; I hope to stay_

She liked that better, but...it still wasn't quite right. Was she perhaps trying too hard? Making it too complicated? She read it over once again, and found the problem: the way she was writing it made it sound like she was in _love_ with Marina, which was definitely not the case. Should she tone it down then? Use more clear wording to denote the familial relationship they had?

She wrote again, once more.

_ You're what family means to me _  
_ A warm hug, comfort offered swift _  
_ Us three, together? Home we'll be _

Her hearts swelled. There, perfect. She drew a tiny, smiling Marina next to the finished poem.

She didn't have Mem Cakes for the next two poems. She'd have to reference her memory if she wanted to doodle them.

Luckily for her, though, the first individual already had a poem written for her, though not on paper. She pulled out her phone, and transcribed what she'd written before...

_ Though once in darkness I did roam _  
_ A place you gave for hope inside _  
_ My heart, deep within, found its home _

She chuckled to herself. She liked this older poem. She'd have to write more with Three as a subject later. She drew the Inkling in question, giving her cute little half-smile.

She thought some more. Ok, now it was Four's turn. Hmm...what mood to convey with this one?

She knew less about Four than she liked to admit. She knew she liked to tease Three; the pair had that kind of relationship where they teased _each other_ , but Four was just better at it. Three commented once that Four likes to talk a lot, but if their recent visit to Octo Canyon was any indication, she was also surprisingly good at keeping quiet when her presence in a conversation wasn't mandatory.

What else, what else...she was good friends with the Squid Sisters? Eight admired that, she supposed. She saved Callie from DJ Octavio, was pretty close to Marie, closer than the Octoling was, at least...

Four also taught her a lot about how the surface worked. Everyone did, technically, but Four taught her a lot of casual stuff. She was a great friend, really passionate about things she liked, and honestly Eight was very glad to know her.

But what could she actually _do_ with any of that, poetry wise? Hmm...

_Spunk and valor..._

Hm, a good start? Perhaps? She needed four more syllables to make a full line, though...

_Spunk and valor ever present_

She liked the way that sounded, but had a feeling it would be hard to rhyme with, so maybe she should go with something else...she scratched out the line, then tapped her head with the pencil. "Hmmmmmmm....."

_ Spunk and valor, she has plenty _

Ooooh, she liked that way better. Much easier to come up with a rhyme for that one. She spent a minute or two more brainstorming, then wrote the rest of the poem.

_ So unafraid of what she feels _  
_ If I would ask, she'd comfort me _

Hmm, it would do. She wasn't _totally_ satisfied with it, but she didn't want to slave over it for longer than she had to right then. She could come up with a new one later if she felt like it. In the meantime, though...

She picked up her phone and pressed a contact. She raised it to her ear.

***click***

"Hey, Four, are you busy?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, a person who used to write a lot of poetry: :)  
> Me, seeing Eight, a character who's a poet: :D  
> Me, realizing I can use my own creative process for character development: :D!!!!


	10. Let's go gamers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight and Four hang out one-on-one for once

The two agents tapped frantically at their controllers. Their characters jabbed at each other on the screen, a jellyfish and an urchin dressed in weird clothes.

Eight made a face of Extreme Concentration as her character, the green jellyfish, extended his arm outwards to try and grab Four's urchin.

Four made the urchin jump over the attempted grab, smirking as he flipped upside down to swipe at him with his spiky head. The jelly's health went down a sizable chunk.

"Nooo! Stop that!!" Eight cried as she made her jelly fling his arm upwards and deliver an electric shock to the attacker.

Four pressed some more buttons, and her urchin assumed a defensive stance. She let out an almost anime-esc laugh. "You think you can defeat me?! I rule this land!" Her urchin started flashing, and spikes flew out of him in an explosion of dark colors.

About three of them hit Eight's character, and the jelly's health was swiftly brought down to nothing. Eight aggressively set the controller on the ground. "That attack does too much damage and you're a cheater." She retorted.

Four snickered. "It's powerful, sure, but it also takes a good chunk of my health to use. See?" She pointed at the screen, noting the recoil the urchin took. "It's only good as a finishing blow, when you've already been weakened by my other attacks. Otherwise I'll knock myself out, or at least down enough that you can finish me off easy. And that's assuming I don't miss. I still get the recoil even if I miss."

Eight paused at that, taking in the information in case they had a rematch. "You seem to know a lot about video games, Four."

Four shrugged. "Everyone's got a hobby, I guess."

The Octoling smiled. "I guess so. Mine's writing poetry, but I think I'm warming up to video games to."

The Inkling's eyes twinkled with awe. "No way, for real?! That's sick, dude! I can't rhyme to save my life."

Eight paused, then smirked. "A funny Inkling is the Four. Pink tentacles sway as she gloats; hanging with her is not a bore." She said as she counted syllables on her fingers.

Four put her hands on the sides of her face, a strange mix of terrified and amazed. "Whaaaaaat no waaaaay how did you do that so fast!!! You're a genius!!!"

Eight laughed in embarrassment. "Wha, no, it's not that good. I can do better if I have time to think..." she thought about it for a moment. "You know actually, that one was better than the one I came up with for you earlier..." She mumbled to herself.

Four grinned like a maniac. "Seriously dude, don't take down about yourself! You've got mad skills!" She clapped her on the shoulder. "You gotta teach me that sometime!"

Eight gave a small smile, a look _almost_ hinting at mischief. "If you beat me next round maybe."

An evil look dawned on the other's face. "You think you can beat me just because I revealed my secret move? You've got guts, Eight! I'll take you on!" She pressed some more buttons, and they entered another fight.

The conversation continued as their characters clashed once more. "You still haven't taught us your language yet, actually. I'd rather learn _that_ before I learn to become a master poet like you." Four commented as she executed an air-dodge.

Eight's jellyfish squished down to duck under a kick from the urchin. "You and Three? I want to teach you soon, you guys can come over whenever you like, I'm just...I don't know if I'm the best teacher...Marina can help, I suppose."

Her jelly ensnared the urchin in a long-limbed grab before suplexing him. The urchin rolled away after recovering. "You talk yourself out of things a lot."

"I-it's not that I'm backing out, I've just...never had to teach anyone anything before. Marina taught Pearl, though, so she _has_. She's known Inklish much longer than I have, so I just think she'd be a better teacher than I."

Four assumed the defensive stance again, but this time Eight was ready. The jelly jumped over spikes, and condensed into a small shape to avoid others. He shot out an orb of lightning at the weakened urchin, knocking him down to a mere sliver of health. Four hissed.

Evasive maneuvers became Four's best friend, but it wasn't enough to protect her from a flailing jellyfish attack, and Eight was the victor.

She carefully set the controller back down and cheered. "Veemo! I win!" The Octoling proclaimed proudly.

Four sighed, patting her on the back good-naturedly. "Yeah, good job. You're a fast learner, Eight."

A beeping sound came from the other room, and the Inkling's face lit up. "Sweet, I think the cookies are done!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet and pulling Eight along with her.

Eight let out a tiny little noise of surprise, but let her friend lead her regardless. Soon enough, they were in the kitchen, and for the first time, Eight was face-to-face with Four's mother. The Inkling had long violet tentacles, draped over her back and tied together with a ponytail at the end. She was wearing oven mitts, and was in the process of removing the cookies from the oven.

Four laughed. "I was just about to get them..."

Her mom smiled. "Well, I was already over here, I figured I might as well. Are you both done with your game?"

Eight nodded sheepishly.

The older Inkling smiled. "Oh, you must be Camryn's friend! It's nice to meet you, I'm Capielle." She set the hot tray down on the counter and extended a hand.

Eight gulped nervously, taking the offered hand after a moment of shy deliberation.

The woman smiled down at her. "There's no need to be shy." She said with a light laugh.

Eight blushed a little, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her jacket. "S-sorry."

Capielle smiled softer. "There's nothing to apologize for, dear. You both sit down, the cookies need a little bit to cool, but I'll pour you both some milk in the meantime."

Four beamed. "Thanks mom!" She gestured to the kitchen table, and the pair sat down opposite one another.

There was a strange period of awkward silence as Eight stared down at the table's clean surface, only broken when she eventually inquired, "...Camryn?"

Four laughed. "Oh, yeah. That's my real name. I keep forgetting you only know me as 'Four,' huh."

Eight gave a tiny, amused smile. "...it's a nice name."

The Inkling grinned. "Thanks!"

The older woman pouring the milk gave a little chuckle of her own. "You're very committed to your little spy game, aren't you Cam?"

Four gave her mother a serious look. Deadly serious. "I am _so_ committed, mother. I'm afraid that now that you've blown my cover as a normal 17 year old girl, I'll have to kill you. You've brought this upon yourself."

There was a brief moment of quiet, but then both the mother and daughter shared a good-natured laugh. "Ah, forgive me. You'll have to forgive me. I'm sorry, super spy. Mission control is going to have my head." She brought over the glasses and set them down in front of them. "Besides, you're not going to be 17 for much longer now, are you?"

Four's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah Eight, I forgot to tell you! My birthday's next month!"

Eight clapped her hands. "Oh, congratulations! You're turning 18, then?"

She puffed out her chest. "Heck yeah I am! Which makes me the first of all three of us _secret agents_ to be 'officially' an adult! You and Three are both still 17, right?"

The Octoling nodded. "Uh-huh, I think so. I mean, again, I don't exactly _remember_ my birthday, so..."

Four grimaced. "Oh yeah, right, sorry. My bad."

"It's fine, I'm sure we can ask, uh, _someone_ to see if he knows it later."

The Inkling nodded. "Right, right, _someone_." She leaned a little closer. "We're talking about the same _someone_ , right?"

"I'm pretty sure?"

"Ok good just checking."

Capielle squinted. "Wait a moment...is the amnesia thing you told me about before... _not_ part of your spy game?" She questioned in careful confusion.

Four shook her head sadly. "Uh, nope. Eight here doesn't remember _anything_ about who she used to be before Off the Hook found her."

Eight pouted. "That's not _entirely_ true..."

"I mean, she remembers _some_ things, just not random personal information like her name or her birthday." Four appended.

"And technically I found out my name recently-ish, but...it doesn't feel like 'me' anymore, so..."

"So she's going by Eight. For now."

Four's mother nodded in sad understanding. "I see. Well, I may not know much about this situation, but let it be said that my home is open to you if you ever need it for any reason. It wouldn't do to have such a nice young girl like yourself not have someplace to stay."

Eight teared up a little, surprised at the sudden kind gesture. "I-I don't need a place to stay! P-Pearl and Marina have been kind enough t-to let me live with them for as long as I need to, I-I c-couldn't possibly impose on someone else I-"

Capielle hushed her, bringing over the plate of warm cookies and setting it in the middle of the table. "It's not imposing, dear, I offered! But I'll take your word for it. But if you ever want to sleep over, I wouldn't mind that either."

Four beamed and grabbed a cookie. "Oh man, I'd totally be down for that too! You're always welcome here, you're like, one of my best pals!"

Eight observed as Four dipped the cookie in the milk before she took a bite, promptly mirroring the action. "Do you ever invite Three over for sleepovers?"

"Nah, Three's not the kind of squid to be into that, I don't think." The Inkling replied as she grabbed another cookie.

The Octoling was quiet for a moment. "This is kinda related but not really, but can I ask you a question? There's been something on my mind recently."

"Shoot, I'm all ears."

"Well...I noticed that you and Three have that kind of relationship where you make fun of each other a lot...but you seem to be better at it than her? Why is that exactly?"

Four snickered. "I'm glad you asked! It's because I have no shame!"

Her mom laughed aloud at that.

Eight just blinked. "What?"

The Inkling got a proud look on her face. "Well, it's not just that; Three is also _really_ easy to tease."

"How so?"

"I'll give you an example. There'll be times where she'll say stuff like 'You only like dualies cuz they hit really fast' or 'You've got a crush on Marie you loser' and I'll just be like 'fair but whatever.' Whereas I can literally say 'Hey Three did you know you've got a crush on your literal actual girlfriend?' And she'll turn all green and babble out something about how I don't know anything. It's honestly hilarious."

Eight blushed a little herself. "That _is_ a bit funny."

Four smirked. "So do with that information what you will. She's really easy to read if you know what to look for." She took a sip of her milk.

The Octoling smiled to herself. She remembered ages ago, when she'd first noticed how the other agent blushed around her. Four wasn't really wrong; Three _was_ easy to read if one paid attention.

The tall purple-tentacled Inkling stretched her arms. "Well, I best be off. Caelum is expecting me at the cafe in fifteen. You two fine on your own?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine Mom. Thanks!"

As her mother turned to leave, Four answered Eight's question before she asked it. "Caelum is my dad's name."

"Ah, thank you. What are they doing at the cafe?"

Four smiled, as if recalling a fond memory. "Mom's work friend spends a lot of time there while he works. So she, him and my dad get together bi-weekly to talk work and stuff. They used to meet in the Plaza back when everyone was over there, but everything's kinda focused in the Square now, which is nice because it's closer to the house."

Eight grabbed another cookie and took a bite. "Mmph, thash nice."

"You wanna play another round when you're done?"

Eight nodded, and the two continued to eat chocolate chip cookies in comfortable silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four's name is revealed! Also her parents are based on OCs I had in Splatoon 1, but re-purposed for the sake of this story. Hooray for OC recycling and cephalopod adoption!


	11. Benny's Quest, part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months ago, the day after the fall...

Benny awoke to a strange smell. That, and to the fact that his ink had dried up overnight. The latter wasn't much of a surprise; ink _was_ known to disappear after a while.

He didn't have much time to contemplate the former, as the moment he sat up, his face smacked right into a frying pan. And he heard the gargling laugh of the one that held it.

Ah. Salmonids. He should've guessed. Considering the water they lived in, he shouldn't have been baffled by the smell.

He got to his feet and backed up a bit, nervously pressing his back against a tree. "H-hello." He greeted in Octarian.

He was ashamed to admit that, despite how long the truce between the two races had been going on, he'd never actually bothered to learn to speak Salmonid. He could understand it alright, but speaking it was another matter altogether.

The two - there were two of them - Salmonids glanced at each other. One swung his pan over his shoulder. _"Well dang, do you speak octo?"_ One asked the other.

_"Not a lick."_

_"That's lame. What should we do about him in our territory, then?"_

Benny's face hardened. He really didn't want to fight. Especially now that he was without his helmet. He was practically defenseless.

The first Salmonid grumbled. _"Maybe he speaks salmon. Hey, dude, you speak salmon?!"_

Benny shook his head.

The second Salmonid blinked. _"But you understood the question?"_

Benny nodded.

The first once made a thoughtful sound. Then he groaned. _"There is literally_ one _fish in town that knows octo."_

The other one paused, then groaned in turn. _"Ugh, I forgot about that. Hey, octo, you planning on staying for long?"_

Honestly, Benny didn't know. It wasn't like he had much else to do, and he _did_ want to wait for Garratia as close as he could be to where he last saw her. So he gave a slow nod in response.

They both groaned together. One mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, then turned to Benny with an annoyed look. _"Then you'd better come with us, then. I also want to apologize in advance for the guy you'll have to talk to; he's the local lunatic and none of us like talkin to him, but he's also the only one that speaks anything other than salmon. So you'll just have to deal with it if you want to stay in the village."_

Benny nodded again, taking a step away from the tree and following them as they walked off in the direction of the floating town.

* * *

Benny stuck close by his pair of escorts as they lead him through the town. The town was entirely filled to the brim with various Salmonids, and honestly he was a little uncomfortable with the looks he was being given.

Being such a sub-standard, basic troop...he wasn't used to being the center of attention. And being stared at by _Salmonids_ of all things was arguably even worse. He'd heard horror stories of their aggression from other Octarians that had interacted with them during negotiations; the common Chum weren't that bad, but you go any bigger or smaller and you'll be faced with an individual that wouldn't hesitate to rip you to shreds.

That's what he'd _heard_ , anyway, but weirdly enough, aside from his pan-brandishing escorts, the rest of the salmon in the settlement seemed to be unarmed. Most observed him as he passed with curious eyes, but a few seemed almost...afraid of him?

Benny found it baffling, and perhaps concerning. Did they not realize he _also_ was unarmed? That any one of them could likely rip his ink sack out with their teeth? He resolved to keep that idea to himself; he didn't want to press his luck.

The eventually managed to arrive at their destination, and the Octocopter couldn't be more confused. It looked like it was supposed to be a house, like the rest of the homes in the village, but the walls were falling apart. Why was _this_ house in such a dire state compared to the rest?

One of his escorts noticed him staring. _"He won't let anyone touch his place. He's weirdly defensive over his place and every time someone gets sent over to fix it up he yells until they leave."_

Benny grimaced as the other one knocked on the door. _"Yo, Deco, open up!"_

There was a shuffling sound inside, and moments later the door swung open to reveal a peeved-looking Snatcher. He looked nearly identical to the other Snatchers he'd seen on the way there, aside from the sets of golden scales under his eyes, and belt in place of their usual suspenders. He also had a gold ring piercing his right nostril, and Benny briefly wondered if it hurt.

He bore his teeth at the other pair of Salmonids. _"What want?! Want eg?? No egg!!"_

The one that had knocked gave a groan of exasperation. _"No, Deco, we aren't here for your river-dammed egg. We're here because of this dude."_ He shuffled to the side so the Snatcher could get a good look at Benny.

He squinted. _"Octo want egg?"_

The other one brought a fin to his face. _"No! He doesn't want your 'egg!' He can't speak salmon and you're the only one that speaks octo in this entire dang town!"_

The Snatcher paused at that. He looked Benny in the eye, making the Octarian shake a little. "What name, octo?" He asked, language broken but at very least recognizably Octarian.

Benny gave a relieved sigh. "I-I'm Benny."

He turned to the other pair. _"Name Benny."_

_"Deco we didn't come all the way here to your run-down shack just for that!"_ One of them yelled. _"You need to teach him how to speak salmon or something so he can live here! Otherwise he's stuck with you since you're the only one who can understand him!"_

Deco glanced anxiously between the Salmonids and Octarian. He squinted at Benny. "You learn fish speak?"

"I-I can try!" Benny replied swiftly.

The Snatcher gave an exasperated sigh before going back inside, beckoning him to follow.

The two Chum sighed as well, though theirs were out of relief. _"Oh thank Goldie, that was much easier than I thought it would be."_ One of them remarked as he turned to leave.

The other shot him a sympathetic look. _"Good luck, uh, Benny."_

Benny watched them leave, watched as one of their pans slipped out of his fin and into the water, and watched as the now pan-less Salmonid dove into the water after it. He could only stare in confusion for a moment before turning back to the strange Snatcher's 'house' and hesitantly going inside.

It was a shocking sight, the inside of the shack. While the outside was held together by spit and determination as far as he could tell, the inside was filled with a plenitude of things that glittered and glowed.

Like...actually literal gold. Just...on display. Covering every wall, spilling onto the floor. Some of it looked like Goldie scales, but most seemed to be actual, legitimate treasure and coin. Was all this Deco's? Was he hoarding it like some...some creature that hoarded things?

Octarians didn't have dragons in their mythos, shut up.

The Snatcher pressed a groove on the wall and down descended a disco ball, not that Benny knew what that was either. Its many surfaces were clean and shiny, but the spaces between them were collecting a lot of dust and grime.

He pressed another button, and a lamp clanked out of the ceiling, its light reflecting off the ball's surface and sending a bit of much-needed brightness around the room.

"Stay." Deco told him snappily as he left the room.

Benny, never one to be a bad guest, frowned and stood there awkwardly.

A few minutes later, Deco returned with an item in each fin. In the left, a golden ball. In the right, a shallow pot. He set the pot on the ground and pointed at Benny with an aggressive stance.

"Deco have one rule if octo stay! Octo no touch egg!" He gestured to his golden ball. "Octo no touch egg?!"

Benny flinched at the sharp tone and regarded the ball with confusion. That...wasn't an egg? Should he point that out?

The Salmonid's angry, expectant look dissuaded the Octarian from correcting him. It didn't really make a difference to Benny anyway. If this was the only condition, it wouldn't be hard to comply.

"I promise I won't touch your egg. Your...they said your name was 'Deco,' right?"

The Salmonid nodded, leering in the direction of the door. "Gel and Omo dumb-dumb. Whole village dumb!" He slid the pot over to Benny as he continued to rant. "No one learn octo speak! Octo speak useful, no one but _Deco_ learn it." He grumbled.

Benny glanced down at the pot in momentary confusion. "Um, what is-"

"Armor. Octo flabby and unprotected. Live with fish, protect self. Put on head. Octo is bald." The Salmonid explained.

Benny gave a nervous laugh at that. "Uh, am I going to be attacked when I go outside, or-"

Deco shook his head. "No salmon hurt octo. _Squid_ may hurt octo, tho. Village think village safe from squid, Deco think no place safe from egg-takers." He ran his fins over his golden ball, like some sort of nervous tic.

Benny frowned. "H-has there ever been any Inklings here? Inklings don't like Octarians...at all."

"Squid don't like salmon either. Deco never seen squid in village, but Deco not live here whole life, so not know for sure."

The Octocopter stared down at the pot on the ground, hesitant. "Uh..."

"Why waiting? Octo flabby and bald! Need armor!"

"...I don't have hands."

Deco gave an exasperated sigh. "Deco help..." He carefully set his 'egg' on the ground, picked up the pot with both fins, and deposited it atop Benny's head swiftly and easily. He quickly scooped his ball back up.

Benny huffed at the new weight. "U-uh, thanks." He wasn't quite sure if he'd be able to get used to the feel of it...but honestly it was nice to have there, if only to replace his helmet.

Deco nodded in some sort of approval, though he made no effort to smile. "Better. Octo weird bald."

"M-my name's Benny...?"

"Deco know. Learn speak fish, Benny?"

Benny blinked. "Uh, right now?"

The Snatcher nodded. "Get octo out of house. House is Deco's and Deco no like to share."

The Octarian made a nervous noise. "Uh, are there any spare places for me to stay when I leave...?"

"Not Deco problem. You learn salmon now!"

Benny had a feeling that he'd be here for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I doodle a little thing for each of the Benny's Quest chapters....mostly because I a: like to draw and b: can't draw anything humanoid to any degree of 'good'. Also Deco and Benny are really fun to draw in particular and their dynamic gets really interesting in later chapters. Hope you guys enjoyed! 
> 
> Also I live for comments please leave comments;;


	12. The king's request

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavio finally gets to talk

Three and Eight came through the grate hand-in-hand, turned their ink yellow, and stared down the snow globe.

Surprisingly enough, Octavio was _already_ staring at them, and when they made eye contact, Eight visibly flinched.

He seemed _deeply_ upset by that, but he didn't say anything.

Three lead the Octoling carefully over to the Octarian King, staring at him with purpose.

He simply leered back, but after glancing sideways at Eight, his look softened to one that was...almost guilty.

".........what?" He asked tentatively, carefully, like he was still afraid of scaring the former elite guard.

Eight took a deep breath, then another, let them both out slowly. She looked the DJ in the eyes, determined yet cautious. "I...wanted to ask you some questions. About myself. If...if that's ok."

Octavio's eyes lit up. "I...! Yes, yes I can do that!" He immediately replied. He curled himself up at he bottom of the snow globe, pressed his forehead against the glass, and cleared his throat. "What did you want to know?"

Three released Eight's hand as she sat on the ground in front of Octavio. She wrung her hands together. "Well, it came up recently and...I was wondering if...you knew my birthday." She inquired quietly.

Octavio gave a thoughtful hum. "Well....." He gave another concentrated sound. "I'd have to check my records to know the _exact_ date, but I believe it was the middle of February. You turned 17 this year, I think?"

Eight blinked. "Huh...I guess I'm the youngest then...you turn 18 this year, right Three?"

Three, getting tired of standing already, nodded and took a seat next to her girlfriend. "It's not as specific as you wanted, but it's nice to know. It's too bad your birthday already passed. We would've thrown you a party."

Eight frowned. "Hmm..."

Octavio observed them with continued caution. "You know, if you _let me out_ I could go find your file and figure out the exact date..."

Eight gave him a pathetic look, and he looked away. "Worth a shot." He turned back, and she was still pouting at him. "Uugh, s-stop looking at me like that."

Three took out her phone and began typing something. "You know, I'm sure Cuttlefish could _also_ find her file if he looked hard enough. He found Marina's." She spoke, not looking up from her phone.

Octavio turned to Three very, very slowly. "I'm sorry, could you do me a favor and _repeat_ that name for me?"

Still texting, Three complied, her lip upturned in a slight smirk. "Marina?"

He looked like he wanted to scream. "Her last name. Wouldn't. Happen to be. Ida. Would it?" He hissed out, eye twitching.

Eight squinted a little, looking confused as to what the big deal was. "Yeah...?"

Octavio very much looked like he wanted to scream. "Are you. Serious?!" He hissed, pressing his face against the glass. "What! Is she doing! On the surface?!" He questioned loudly, exasperated.

"She and Pearl do the news." Three replied, eyes still glued to her phone. "Stage rotations, Splatfests, that sorta thing." She looked up for a moment to look at him with a mocking expression. "What, didn't you _know_ that she abandoned ship? There's plenty of Octolings on the surface nowadays."

"I!! I thought..!" He crossed his arms. "Why in the world...I thought everyone was lying to me when they said Octarians were defecting..." He grumbled.

Eight wrung her hands together. "She was here last week when we were talking to Ilkani. Did-did you not recognize her...?"

His eyes bulged out of his head. "Are you kidding me?! I-" He began yelling, but seeing Eight flinch again, he took a moment to lower his voice. "I...did not see her well from...over here. The...I was..." He let out an annoyed sigh. "The Squid Sisters made fun of me before they left so I was trying not to look in that direction so I wouldn't have to see their stupid, satisfied faces when they got back from their stupid concert tour." He mumbled quietly in defeat.

Eight pouted. "Did they, um, t-tell you what I..."

The King looked away. "They...they related your message, yes. And...I..."

"Y-you.....?"

"I...frankly don't care anymore. I was mad, _furious_ when I first entertained the idea that everyone was deserting me, and honestly I'm still mad. But...less at everyone who left and...more at myself for doing a poor job at making them _want_ to stay." He shot her a plaintive look. "My people were dying, G... _Eight_. It was slow, so slow they couldn't see it, but when you've lived as long as I have, everything starts to go by quicker than you think it is."

Eight observed him for a moment. Contemplative, like she wanted to say something but didn't know what.

Octavio continued, eyes downcast. "We were dying out, one day at a time. The crisis escalated, I lied to keep their spirits up. So many Octarians, so many cogs in a machine that was falling apart piece by piece. I made choices, difficult ones, and tried my very hardest to...eliminate variables. I cut corners, I made deals, and now...here I am. Stuck back in a prison of my own making. I did what I thought was necessary, even if I didn't necessarily think it was _right_."

Even Three was stunned silent. She put away her phone and looked at him with genuine awe. "So, what? What is all that to say?"

The king looked like he'd forgotten the Inkling was even there. He turned to her with wide eyes for a brief moment before turning his gaze back toward the ground in front of Eight. "All that is to say...I know that neither of you particularly care what happens to me. But I want someone to know that I regret my choices. I would've done things differently had I known how things turned out." He stared Eight in the eye. "And I truly mean that. I did everything for the eventual betterment of my people. When your city is crumbling, you turn to whatever means necessary for damage control."

Eight opened her mouth, closed it again. She held up a hand, lowered it. She raised it once more and slowly, slowly reached out towards Octavio. She laid it against the glass.

The DJ genuinely teared up. _"I am so, deeply sorry."_ He whispered in Octarian.

_"I forgive you."_ She said back.

He wiped his eyes, clearing his throat and sighing with relief. "N-now that _that's_ off my chest, _eherm_ , I...would like to ask a question of you. Gar.... _Eight_."

Eight blinked, removing her hand from the glass. "Y-yes? What?"

"From what I've gathered it's some kind of sensitive matter but I don't think I'll be able to rest without knowing what happened to you specifically. Why don't you remember anything? Why do you have amnesia, _why_ do you trust this Inkling so much? Please, _please_ , I _need_ to know." He replied, desperation clear in his tone.

Eight flinched again, though this time, it wasn't out of fear. Or at least, not fear of Octavio. She grabbed Three's hand, squeezing it tight.

The Inkling rubbed her thumb over the back of her hand, providing as much comfort as she could in that moment.

Eight, shaking, stared at Octavio with wide eyes. She spoke one word, and one word alone. "Kamabo."

And the King saw red. The sheer amount of anger in his eyes was petrifying. "What." He growled.

Three squeezed Eight's hand a little tighter. "What? Do you know that name?" She inquired carefully.

Octavio balled up his tentacles and slammed them against the glass. He was _furious_. "They sent me a pamphlet 'thanking me for my contribution' every month! I...I never knew what that meant, but if whatever they do results in...in...that!" He gestured wildly to Eight. "Then...then I want to know what can be done to _stop_ it from ever happening to anyone else!!"

Eight wrung her hands together, tearing up and looking away from him. "I...I was one of the lucky ones..." She whispered in horror, memories of what she'd seen in the Metro returning.

Three rubbed her back as the king stared at them in horror. "I'm sorry?! You were _what_?!" He demanded.

The Octoling's breathing went shaky. "Th...there were so many Octarians down there...st-stripped of their, of their free will." She whispered, squeezing Three's hand even tighter. "Green, blue, tests, train...everyone who didn't make it got turned into a zombie, everyone who succeeded got b-b- _blended_ into the slime that made the others _into_ zombies. I...I almost got turned into...into...!" She began to cry, and stared, sniffling at Three, who immediately wrapped her in a hug.

Octavio was silent, stunned and horrified by what he was hearing. "You..." He began, looking between the pair for a moment. _"You don't need to say anymore."_ He said quietly, speaking in Octarian again.

Eight sniffled, still holding onto Three. _"She saved my life...th-the only reason I'm here at all is, is because of Three."_ She whimpered.

The Octarian was silent for a moment as he observed the pair embracing. Eventually, he managed to speak again. "Three. You need to do something for me."

The Inkling looked at him, brow furrowing. "Depends."

"I...I don't think I can talk to her about this. No, I _shouldn't_ talk to her about this. From the sounds of it, _nobody_ should be talking to her about this. But...I want to know. And...she trusts you." He looked down. "I...want you to tell me what happened to her. When...she's not here."

"I...Eight? What do you think?"

Eight took a shaky breath, and slowly nodded into the Inkling's shoulder.

Three turned back to Octavio and nodded.

The king gave a sigh of relief, and the smaller Octoling sniffled. "Th-Three, can we leave? I...want to go home." She whimpered.

Three nodded. "Of course." She stood up, pulling her girlfriend with her by the hand. They took a step towards the grate.

Octavio stared at them. "H-hey, one last request?" He called out, causing the pair to turn back to look at them. He cleared his throat. "Please, please Three. Take care of her. Keep her safe. _Please_." His tone was just shy of begging.

Three looked at him, looked back at Eight, and smiled. "Wasn't planning on doing otherwise." And the pair sank down into the grate.

There was about a minute of silence, and then a choked sound escaped the snow globe. Octavio buried his face in his tentacles.

"February 17th...her birthday is February 17th." He wept. He'd known the exact date all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Octavio tries very hard guys. Everyone on Wattpad was weeping over Octavio in this chapter lol
> 
> Leave comments they make me go doki doki


	13. Passage of time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A belated celebration is had

Three had been acting strange for the past week.

Now, to the untrained eye, it was hard to tell that she was acting off. But Eight knew her well, and as such, she figured out pretty quickly that Three was after something.

It was mostly just that she was overly interested in small talk; kept asking questions she already knew the answer to and then laughing it off when Eight pointed this out. Things like _'Your favorite color is light blue, right?'_ To which Eight would slowly nod and point to her tentacles after a pause. She usually turned her ink that color when she went places.

Favorite flavors, movies, scents, weird stuff that Eight had either told her before or didn't think important enough to mention (or decide) until she was asked. It was baffling.

It was Friday, and they had spent most of the day playing Turf War together. It had taken a few months after coming to the surface, but Eight was finally warming up to ink battling.

Or maybe having Three there just made her more confident. Either way, fun times were had.

It was early in the afternoon and they were sitting at a table in the Square, taking a break before returning to the the fray. Their weapons of choice rested on the table; Undercover Brella for Eight and the new model Heroshot Replica for Three. Her old one still had the old special so it was kinda defunct for matches nowadays.

Three had her nose buried in her phone. She'd been doing that a lot that day, and Eight would be lying if she said she hadn't noticed. She hadn't felt like bringing it up before, but honestly it was starting to confuse her.

"You seem distracted today, Three. Is something wrong?" She inquired innocently.

Three's head shot up. She looked vaguely alarmed, like she'd been caught red-handed. "U-uh. Well."

Eight chuckled at her nervousness. "Aw, did you not think I'd notice? I can be pretty observant when I want to be, you know."

Three scratched her cheek, blushing a bit. "Yeah, I know. I saw you catch that guy sneaking up on you last match, didn't I?"

Eight felt her own face heat up a tad at the light praise. "Yeah, that _was_ cool, wasn't it? I love having Splashdown..." She giggled to herself, laying a hand on her weapon.

You'd think her fight with Three while she was possessed would've made her hate the special, but nope. Still absolutely no trauma from that fight. In fact, seeing Three use it so well might've even _contributed_ to-

She cut off her train of thought when she realized something. "Wait. Are you trying to change the subject?" Eight questioned, brow furrowing.

Three sweat nervously. "What, no, I'm not, I just wanted to compliment my girlfriend a bit because I think you're cool, y-y'know?" She smiled, but Eight could tell she was hiding something.

The Octoling gave her a worried look. "Three, seriously, you've been acting weird. Are you ok?" She reached across the table and rested her hand on the other's.

Three seemed to have some sort of internal crisis at the question. "I..." She looked into Eight's face, into her concerned eyes, and sighed. "I'm terrible at hiding things from you, aren't I?" She laughed lightly.

Eight smiled back at her.

The Inkling took a deep breath. "Nothing's wrong, there's just a surprise waiting for you back at your house and they need me to keep you occupied out here while they get it ready."

Eight's eyes widened. "Oooohhhhhh, that's why you seemed so secretive. What's the surprise?"

Three raised an amused eyebrow. "You dork, if I tell you it won't be a surprise!"

"I-I know, I'm just curious now!" She laughed.

"Well trust me, it'll be better if you don't know. I only told you about it in the first place so you wouldn't worry." She replied with a smile.

Eight giggled a little more. "Well, thanks for that, then. I'll try to be patient. When do you think it'll be ready?"

"I don't know, that's why I've been texting them. I'm sure they'll tell me when it's done. Should be soon, though."

"Cool!" She stood up and grabbed her Brella, flashing an excited smile. "You up for one more match in the meantime?"

Three grinned. "Do you even have to ask?"

* * *

Eight and Three stood just outside the door. "Oh, I'm kinda nervous now..." The Octoling said quietly. "It's...it's a good surprise, right Three?"

Three held her hand. "Trust me, you'll love it. Close your eyes, I'll get the door for you."

Eight shut her eyes, and then heard the door open. Three lead her inside, the door closed, and she was lead through her (Pearl and Marina's) home a ways.

It was unnervingly quiet. Usually there'd be ambient noise if others were in the house; it was downright _impossible_ to not notice if Pearl was home, anyway. If they were here...why couldn't she hear them?

"Three, can I open my eyes now?" She inquired quietly.

Three let go of her hand, she heard her walk a few paces away, and then reply. "Go ahead!"

And the moment she did, she was met with a shower of confetti and a roar of cheers.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EIGHT!!!" The room cried, collectively.

"Belatedly!" Added Four, alone.

Everyone was there. All of the people Eight had grown to know since she came to the surface: Pearl, Marina, Three and Four, the Squid Sisters. Even Captain Cuttlefish!

She jumped at the shouting and stared at the falling paper scraps. "I...you guys, what is all this?" She questioned in awe, catching a bit of confetti as it fell.

Pearl nudged Three in the side, smirking. "This sap told us that DJ _Deadbeat_ spilled the deets on your birth month and wanted to celebrate cuz we missed it by so long. So again, happy birthday, kid!" She blew a party horn.

Marina snorted. "Octavio's not _that_ bad."

Pearl pouted up at her, tooting the party horn at her indignantly but not saying anything.

Eight stared at her girlfriend with wide eyes. "Three... _you_ made this happen?" She questioned softly.

The Inkling rubbed the back of her neck, sheepishly smiling. "Y-yeah. I figured, well, you've probably never had a birthday party before. And if you have, you don't remember, you know? So I thought, you know...you deserved one."

The Octoling sniffled, rubbing her eyes as she beamed. "You all...you're all so nice."

Four snickered. "Don't go getting sappy on us now, nerd. We've got a party to get started!"

Pearl pulled out a jukebox and Callie slapped a CD into it, beaming. "Let's get this thing going!!" The pair cheered.

* * *

About an hour later, the excitable energy in the room had lessened a tad. Everyone was still beaming, but there was less enthusiastic shouting coming from Pearl, Callie and Four. Eight was grateful; as much as she loved those three, there was only so much loud noise she could take.

Everyone was socializing with one another. They'd already had cake and played games, so now it had devolved into a group gathering until presents got opened. Eight had felt like waiting for that part until the end.

Pearl and Marina laughed as they listened to Four ramble about something, Three was chatting animatedly with the Squid Sisters, and Eight was _finally_ catching up with Cuttlefish. The energy of the room was bright and friendly, and Eight couldn't imagine anything better.

The elder squid gave a warm smile as he gestured to her current choice of attire. "I see you're still wearing the jacket I gave you, ohoho."

She blushed a tad. "I-it's comfy, it's my favorite thing to wear, sir. Thank you again for lending it to me." She bowed her head to him in respect.

He gave a light laugh. "No need to be so formal; and I didn't lend it to you, I _gave_ it to you, remember?" He rested a hand on her shoulder. "Does it help at all? I never got around to asking you that."

Eight brushed her fingers against the material, smiling softly. "It..it really does. Thank you, sir."

"Please, call me Cap, y'hear? You don't need to go treatin me like your superior, Agent Eight." He paused to cough into the sleeve of his own jacket. He cleared his throat before continuing. "How're those nightmares of yours, by the way? Still bothering you?"

She shook her head with another soft smile. "No, not at all...I haven't had a nightmare since...before me and Three started dating." She gazed off at the Inkling in question, who was still describing something in intimate detail to Callie and Marie. She laughed fondly. "Three scared them away, I think."

Cuttlefish gave a laugh of his own. "Agent Three, scary? She's not scary unless you're an Octarian!" He paused, returning his hand to his lap. "Aside from you, of course. And I _did_ hear from my granddaughters that other Octarians are starting to reform en masse, so perhaps that generalization doesn't work too well anymore."

Eight shrugged. "I'd be willing to bet a good few would still be scared of her _even if_ they're free. From what I heard, she did a LOT to Octo Valley." She grimaced. "I'm...I'm just glad things are getting better for everyone now. All the fighting's been unnecessary, I'd be willing to bet."

"All the fault lies with Octavio and his bloody lies and propaganda. He's always been a stubborn thing, but...he started to get scared for his standing and the respect of his subjects, and made some stupid decisions." His eyes drifted, landing on Callie. "Some more stupid than others." He added lowly.

Eight gulped nervously. "U-um, actually...ki-kinda related to that, um..."

Cuttlefish turned back to look at her. He raised an eyebrow.

"Y-you know how you found a file for Marina back in the...in the metro?" She inquired softly.

The elderly man nodded.

She wrung her hands together. "Well, I was hoping...that you could find one for me? My old one...Octavio couldn't tell me my _exact_ birthday, and..."

Cuttlefish returned his hand to her shoulder. "Say no more, I can find it for you. Do you know your old name?" He asked with a soft smile.

"It was...Garratia, I think."

His smile faded just a tad. ".......are, are you sure?" He carefully inquired.

She nodded slowly. "Y-yeah, I'm sure. Why-"

"Yo Eight, you ready to open presents?!" Pearl shouted across the room, cutting off the rest of Eight's question.

The Octoling looked up at her, then back at Cuttlefish with a pleading look.

He gave a sigh and nodded to her. "I'll find it." He said quietly.

She wrapped him in a quick hug before hopping off the couch. "Yeah, I'm ready!"

* * *

Eight stared apprehensively at the small pile of boxes before her. She really hadn't... _gotten_ gifts in this manner before, so had they not explained the nature of the tradition to her beforehand she would've been confused. And honestly, even with the explanation it still confused her a bit. Would it not be easier to just...give her the stuff as it was? Without all the buildup?

Most of her friends were leaning against something a bit away from the pile, with the exception of Cuttlefish, Four, and Callie. Cuttlefish hadn't moved from his spot on the couch, while the other two had taken to sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Four pulled one box from the pile, and handed it to Eight. "Open this one first, Eight! It's from me!"

Eight gave a sheepish little nod and smile, observing the packaging for a moment. Green and yellow stripes, with a message on the outside that simply read "From Four/Camryn" in black marker.

She looked up nervously. "Is the paper important?" She asked quietly.

Four snickered. "Not one bit! Just tear it off if you want! The thing I got you isn't delicate at all so go wild. No worries."

Despite the invitation to throw caution to the wind, she still opened her present as carefully as she could. She felt...nervous for some reason.

The paper discarded on the floor, she finally revealed what it had hidden: some kind of small machine, similar in nature to Four's gaming system, a packaged game, and a set of Crust Bucket tickets.

She looked up at Four with wide eyes.

The agent folded her arms and smirked. "I figured you enjoyed video games while you were at my house so much, might as well get you a handheld so you can play on your own. Also got you _Chib's Adventure_. Cute little game I figured you'd like for the system."

Eight smiled. She held up the Crust Bucket tickets and blinked. "What about these?"

Four grinned. "Got those from my Salmon Run shifts. Heard from Three you don't like doing Salmon Run so I figured you never got any tickets. Now you can get some Crust Bucket stuff whenever!"

Eight held the tickets close to her chest, beaming. She'd honestly been planning to give Salmon Run another shot one of these days, but Four's gift was thoughtful nonetheless. "Th-thank you, Four!"

She laughed back. "Glad you like it!"

"Oh, oh, open ours next!!" Callie called out, catching Eight's attention. "Marie and I got you something together!" She said with a bright smile.

Eight carefully set Four's gifts to the side as Callie frisbee-tossed a present to her. She caught it without even blinking. She held the flat, carefully wrapped thing gingerly, observing it for a moment before opening it. The wrapping paper was black and uniform, and the white lettering on it said "From the Squid Sisters" with two hearts behind it, one pink and one green.

She gently ripped it open and stared for a moment at what was inside: a set of what appeared to be necklaces with laminated cards attached. "What are these for?" She asked.

Marie grinned to herself. "They're VIP passes to some of our stuff. Like, concerts and movie screenings and such. Figured since we've been meaning to do more projects together, and you like our music so much, it wouldn't be too much trouble to get you some backstage privileges."

Eight looked like she almost wanted to cry. She wiped her eyes with a sleeve before the tears had a chance to flow, though. "Th-that's so nice of you, thank you!"

"Aww, Eight, don't cry!" Callie laughed, a kind and pleasant sound to the Octoling's ears. "I think our next thing...is next month? The movie's coming out _next_ month, right Marie?"

Marie nodded. "We're playing the leads. Twins separated at birth. Because cod forbid we do anything subtle." She remarked with a slight smirk as she brought a hand to her face.

"I-I can't wait to see it!"

"Ok, move aside, mine next!" Pearl shouted, sliding across the floor and resting a hand on a rather large box.

Eight stared in apprehension, a bit mesmerized by the size of the box. "O-oh dear."

Pearl lifted her hand only to bring it down again as she pat the present. "Don't look so scared, Eight! Here, open up!" She ran around to the other side of the box and made a show of pushing the heavy item towards the young Octoling.

Eight stood up, waving her hands about in slight panic. "I-it's ok, Pearl! I-I can come to you!" She meeped, rushing over to where the short Inkling was still struggling.

Marie and Three both snickered at the display.

Pearl shrugged and gave up. "Go ahead then. Be my guest!"

Eight observed the packaging with interest. It was a lot less neatly wrapped than the other presents so far, there were places where she'd clearly cut the paper too small and had to work around it so as to not waste paper. It was charming...and also heartwarming in the sense that Pearl _herself_ had clearly wrapped it, rather than hired someone else to do it for her.

Which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't all _that_ remarkable, but it was nice to see that Pearl had clearly put a lot of effort into it.

The label on the box said "From Pearl, aka MC Princess, aka the Cool Mom ;)". Eight's face went a little bit blue out of embarrassment. Geez, they really were embracing it, weren't they?

She carefully tore the paper, and then squinted at the box underneath it. There was an image of something on it...what did it say...a 'Telescope?' Hm. "What's a telescope?"

Pearl grinned like a shark. "It's this fancy thingamagig you use to look at stars and junk! You like the sky, like, a _lot_ , so I figured this would be perfect. You can see everything super clear and _super_ detailed with this thing, way better than just looking with your eyes!" She pounded a fist to her chest. "This model is also really good, cuz they sell smaller ones that don't work as well, but I said 'Heck no only the best for Eight!!' So that's that!"

Eight's eyes twinkled. "Oooooooo that's so cool! The stars are really pretty up here already, you're saying they can look even prettier?!"

"Heck yeah I am!! How about we set up this bad boy on a balcony tonight so you can test it out?!"

"Y-yeah! That'd be great! Thank you, Pearl!!"

Marina gave a laugh. "Hopefully my present isn't too underwhelming. It's a bit hard to follow _that_ , I'd say."

"I-I'm sure I'll love it no matter what it is!" Eight assured her, smiling reassuringly.

Marina smiled back, and picked up one of the two remaining presents. It was a much smaller gift than Pearl's, flat and rectangular, and also wrapped much more neatly. She handed it to Eight.

The younger Octoling took it, and then took a moment to observe it, like she had with the previous presents. The wrapping paper was light pink with darker pink spots, and it had a proper-looking label sticker on it that read "From Marina." She had to hand it to her: Marina was good at appearing professional.

She gently tore the paper, and stared at the notebook it revealed.

Marina smiled softly. "You like to write poetry, but you're always asking for spare paper to write on, so I figured you could use a notebook specifically for your poems!" She explained. "Of course, it's _your_ notebook, so I suppose you can use it for whatever you like, but...you know, I figured you'd probably use it for poetry writing."

Eight gave a wide grin and hugged the notebook to her chest. "I-I love it, Marina! You're so thoughtful and smart! I'll definitely use it for my poems!"

Marina blushed lightly and gave a quiet laugh. "You're too sweet, Eight."

"Who's the last present, then? Three?" Four inquired, gesturing to the present and then to her fellow agent.

Eight turned to look at her as well, eyebrows arching in interest.

"No, it's mine." Cuttlefish interjected.

Eight blinked at him in confusion, then returned her gaze to Three, who was fidgeting where she stood. The Octoling resolved to cross that bridge when she got there and picked the elder squid's present off the ground. It was wrapped fairly neatly and was labeled "From MC Craig" so...yep, definitely Cuttlefish.

She tore the wrapping off and blinked at what she saw. "....sticker....book...? Weapon decals....fun for all ages?" She read aloud.

Cuttlefish nodded. "When I was a little squid, decorating your weapon was all sorts of fun! Of course, it was also very useful for identifying which weapon was yours, since we had _just_ bamboozlers back in the day, but still, I thought you might like it."

Eight considered that, thinking back to her weapon of choice, and imagined covering it in stickers. Haha, probably not. Maybe her ink tank, but not her Brella. She couldn't imagine that working out at all. Regardless, it was nice of him, so she smiled. "I do, thank you, Cap."

"Wait, what about Three?" Four inquired, staring at the Inkling in question.

Three nervously cleared her throat. "U-uh, what I got you...isn't, uh, physical?" She explained as she fidgeted.

Eight blinked. "Are you ok?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, this is just...going to be a bit embarrassing for me." She pulled out her phone, and tapped her fingers across the screen.

And Eight just stared in wonder when, with a final tap, an instrumental of Into the Light started to play.

Three cleared her throat, and... _"Yauna minasta minaozontoriju...Funame neramijaromobuyu..."_

Eight's eyes went wide. Three was...Three was _singing_! She'd never heard the other agent _sing_ before. She listened intently as she continued.

_"Rizaro somewo soreyumeri. Komisurdamai hajufrodaskai."_ Came the softly sung lyrics.

The Inkling was by no means a professional, that much was clear. But she seemed to know the lyrics well, and knew how to sing each line; she'd _practiced_ , Eight realized. How long had this taken her?

She continued to sing the song, line by line, all by herself. The Octoling felt her whole body relax as she listened. As much as she loved the Squid Sisters, nothing in the _world_ could beat _this_ song, the one her guardians had written for her. It was her favorite song, and hearing Three sing it to her made her heart soar.

The only point at which she faltered was the rap section. She uttered the first syllable, only for her face to flush and her eyes to shoot to the floor.

Lucky enough, though, Pearl herself was quick to pick up the slack for her. Out of anyone, she knew the lyrics best, which wasn't all that surprising considering they were _hers_. Three gave her a grateful look at continued to sing Marina's part while Pearl rapped.

Eight became lost in the melody as it returned to just Three's voice alone. She was, by no exaggeration, enamored.

The song was soon over. Eight wanted to cry; both because it was beautiful, and because the music had stopped. She could do no more than stare at her girlfriend in awe.

Three cleared her throat and begun to explain. "They...Marina and Pearl told me...that that song helps when you have panic attacks. I wanted...to do more than just, you know, play the music." She smiles weakly back at her. "I know I'm not the best singer in the world, but...I just wanted to show that I would, uh, you know. D-do anything for...you." She finished awkwardly, remembering halfway through her speech that there were plenty of other people in the room besides them.

The Squid Sisters snickered at each other, and Four opened her mouth to say something, but she was cut off when Eight tackled Three in a hug. She sounded like she was halfway between laughing and crying.

"I _love_ you, Three." She sniffled as she buried her face in the other's chest.

Three's hand found it's way to the back of her head, and the other wrapped around her to return the embrace.

Eight didn't know everything, but in that moment, she knew one thing for certain: if all birthday parties were like this, she couldn't _wait_ for her next one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember this chapter took me a while to write lol. Lots of fun interactions in this one haha. Also Cuttlefish finally gets involved! How nice of him to join
> 
> Anyway Splatfest begins tomorrow! What team are y'all on? I'm Chaos all the way! >:D


	14. Benny's Quest, part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One week after the fall...

Benny carried the little pouch in his mouth as he strolled through the town. By now the novelty of him being there had started to wear off, so he wasn't getting quite as many stares.

It hadn't taken too long to learn to speak Salmonid, all things considered. He already knew how to understand it, after all. The only real roadblock had been that Deco was a lousy teacher. And he'd been rushing because he wanted Benny out of his house. Which hadn't even happened, actually, because he realized he could utilize Benny as an errand boy, thereby allowing him to stay in his house with his 'egg' more often. He...was already a bit tired of it, honestly.

It really hadn't been too long that he'd been there, but he was consistently concerned every single time he had to leave that run-down shack. He hadn't been attacked, or even given the indication that he would be; but he'd heard too much about the tell-tale aggression of the Salmonid race to cast aside the idea entirely. He really wanted to leave this anxiety-town.

But he had no idea where he'd go if he did! Deco was just about the least reliable source of information one could find, that much he could tell. He wouldn't spill any details about the area surrounding the town. Most of the merchants in the town didn't seem much for small talk, and he was _not_ going to try and start a conversation with some random passerby fish.

It didn't really matter anyway. Aside from the side of the town that bordered the mountain, everything else was water. And as an ink-based life form, he couldn't swim. And even as an Octocopter, his helmet was broken and all he had to protect himself was a metal pan. He wouldn't last a minute against whatever it was that shot him down in the first place, never mind _Inklings_. His best bet, as much as he hated it, was to remain in the village until Garratia showed up.

He shook himself out of his musings, remembering what he was doing in the first place. Deco had sent him to fetch something and by Cod he was going to do it so he could return to the _relative_ safety of that shack.

It didn't take long to find the stall in question, but Benny almost missed the shopkeeper herself. It honestly still caught him off guard how _small_ Smallfry were.

"Hey there, you're that poor Octo that Deco's holding captive, yeah?" She greeted, waving a fin.

And that Smallfry were an adult facet of Salmonids. That was weird too.

Benny set down the bag on the counter and grimaced. "I-is he? Aren't I just, uh, rooming with him?"

She gave him a sympathetic look. "Pal, tell me honestly. Would you rather be with another fish?"

He looked down. "...maybe."

She sighed. "That's what I thought. Anyway, what'd he send you for?"

"U-uh. I think he wanted...eels?" Benny replied tentatively.

The Smallfry nodded, turning around. "Hiko, get the eels ready!" She yelled behind her, and a meek reply was heard. She turned back around and smiled at the Octarian, pulling the bag he'd offered towards her. She loosened the string and peered inside. "Mmhm, that's enough for five, I'd say."

If Octarians didn't use Salmonid eggs as currency, Benny would've found it a lot weirder that the Salmonids themselves did the same. Then again, he imagined it was an entirely different thing to use _your own_ eggs for something like that than to use someone else's. Ugh, the less he thought about it the better, probably.

She closed the bag and looked back at him. "You got here just in time for the first glowflies of the month, you know."

The Octarian just blinked. "Glow...flies?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Figured I should warn you ahead of time. Folks get...a bit crazy when the glowfly swarms are around." She explained, but then she paused. "Actually, we're probably a lot _less_ dangerous than other villages during glowfly season, given the nature of this place. Plenty of folks here actually _hate_ the darn things."

"Uh, I'm sorry but, I'm a bit lost...I don't know what glowflies are...are they dangerous?"

She gave a shrug. "Only for the infighting they cause, but that's more of an issue for the Swarm, not so much civilians like us. Of course, I never got to actually be a part of the Swarm myself, so I-"

Benny's eyes widened. "Wait wait wait, civilians? You mean you guys aren't soldiers? I could've sworn..." He interrupted.

The Smallfry blinked at him. "Well some of us used to be, but for the most part, no, we never got the chance. I know I didn't."

"...why not?" He asked, before he realized he might be pushing his luck. "I-I mean, if it's not a t-touchy subject, of course."

She gave a laugh at that. "By all means, ask me whatever you like. I can tell you've been curious for a while now, and Deco hasn't been keen on filling you in, it's fine."

He gave a sheepish laugh of his own. "Y-Yeah, he really hasn't."

"Well, for starters, some of us are here for infractions. Didn't follow orders during training period, displayed unnaturally low aggression, stuff like that. My reaction time was bad, personally." She gestured to the scar on her face. "Wasn't cut out for the real thing."

"Huh..."

"I wasn't even one of ones who wanted to pilot a Flyfish. Those 'Fry are downright crazy. It's so easy for those things to malfunction. Any Smallfry that doesn't take Flyfish protocol seriously enough gets exiled almost _immediately_." She continued. "I know a couple of those got sent here, so...those ones are probably the most likely to try and smack you out of any fish here. They're all pretty salty about it still."

Benny nodded.

"Then there's the ones that didn't do well enough during a defense raid. There's a couple of Chum and Fry here who fled after getting attacked, rather than try'n take down the attacker? I know a gal just covered in old ink scars from a survival. Real unfortunate. Swarm's not kind to veterans."

"...it's the same way among Octarians." Benny remarked sadly. "It's very serious, they make you think that there's no higher honor than dying in combat."

She tilted her head at him. "But a warrior's death _is_ the highest honor. You don't think so?"

Benny gave a thoughtful hum. "I used to, but not anymore. There shouldn't be any shame in just wanting to _live_." He looked around. "Honestly, this place seems like it isn't that bad. You've got food, you don't get attacked, you're not being sent off to your possible death every day...if Octarian society was like this, I probably wouldn't have left."

The Smallfry gave a thoughtful hum of her own. "Ok, but, consider this: you'd get bored eventually with nothing to fight."

"Are _you_ bored?"

She blinked. "Uh..."

He gave a small smile. "You can't tell me that there's nothing at all to do around here. What do you do in your spare time?"

She looked down, clearly deep in thought. "Well, me and the boys go out and hunt for a living, but...if I ever get spare time, I go see Emm. She's the scarred gal I mentioned earlier. She's got lots of stories, and helps out the Cohocks with their construction work. She's always busy, always got some project she's needing help with."

Benny's lips upturned in a very soft look. "Sounds to me like this place is tight-nit."

She nodded.

He leaned against the wood to look at her closer. "It sounds a lot nicer than being sent to your death to me. Like there's always something to do. Busywork is a nice substitute to war."

She blinked at him, tilting her head to the side. "Are all you Octarians such a wistful folk, or are you just a romantic?"

Ink colored his cheeks and he gave a nervous cough as he stood up straight again. "A-ah, well, I'm a bit of an outlier. Most Octarians don't exactly think of it that way. Most everyone else thinks that war and vengeance are all that matters."

She raised an amused brow at him. "But not you, huh?"

"Well, I mean, I used to, b-but not anymore."

With a chuckle, she quipped, "Why not? If it's not a touchy subject, of course."

Benny laughed in turn. "It's not, but, uh..." His thoughts went to that song, the one that opened his eyes. "...it's kinda hard to explain."

She opened her mouth to reply, only for a sheepish-looking Chum to appear from behind her with a bag in his fins. "F-five eels, ma'am."

"Ah, I'd nearly forgotten. Thank you, Hiko." She waved him over and he set the bag on the counter.

His eyes met Benny's and he seemed to get a bit paler. He hastily murmured something and shuffled himself back into the stall.

The Smallfry merchant rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him, he's a bit paranoid. Most of us were always told that Octarians are cunning and ruthless."

Benny gave another awkward laugh. Guess the unflattering rumors went both ways.

She pushed the bag over to him. "You'd best be getting back to Deco. Hate to make him wait, you know?"

Benny nodded and grabbed the bag in his mouth.

Before he turned to leave, she held up a fin. "It was nice chatting with you. Feel free to come by again sometime. I never got to pester _you_ for all your Octarian secrets!" She said, grinning at him.

Benny blinked, unable to respond aloud with the bag in his mouth. He smiled and nodded instead. If this friendly face wanted to talk to him again, then he'd be happy to oblige.

He turned to head back, and he heard the tiny fish call one last thing out to him. "Remember, glowflies are tonight! I advise you find a hiding place or something in that shack! Something without any holes in it! Hate to lose you too quick!"

Benny was sure he'd be fine. They were just bugs that glowed, right? What's the worst that could happen?

* * *

Benny hid in a cupboard, shaking as he curled in on himself. The sounds of ravenous Salmonids outside the walls of the house were the worst white noise he'd ever heard. Every so often he could see the light pour into the house through one of the many broken boards, bringing the hoard of fish with it before it left again.

The only thing keeping them all out of the kitchen was Deco brandishing the pan he'd given Benny earlier. He was lucky most of the others were _unarmed_.

In the distance, he heard the shrill shriek of a fish in pain.

Benny prayed to Cod that Garratia would show up soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fish lore fish lore fish loRE FISH LORE-
> 
> Hope you guys are enjoying Splatfest! Also I'm like 90% sure I initially wrote this chapter before the final fest was even revealed so the whole ideological clash here between Benny and the Salmonids was complete thematic coincidence on my part lol. Go Chaos!


	15. Collecting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight picks up some old trinkets

Octo Canyon was...a weird place to be. She used to live here? Or, no, it was the Valley where she was stationed, wasn't it? She was there for the concert, so...but then again, Ilkani was here in the Canyon so if she lived here and they were dating then did she live nearby?

Or could it even be called living when you were a full-time elite soldier? Ugh. Eight had no idea.

Regardless, it was Ilkani that she was waiting for that day. The last time they'd spoken (last week, the day after her belated party) Ilkani had mentioned that she still had some of 'Garratia's' old belongings back at her station that she'd kept after they'd broken things off initially. Eight asked if it would be ok to have them back, to see if they'd jog a memory or two, and the other had promised she'd have them gathered in a week's time.

So she sat there, by Cuttlefish Cabin, waiting for her old friend to arrive with her stuff.

Octavio had been oddly silent when she arrived, and he seemed keen to continue to keep quiet while she waited. It was almost eerie; he was just...there, quietly watching.

He seemed super nervous every time she stopped by the canyon now. Like he didn't want to ruin what little progress he'd made in speaking to her last time.

Was he this considerate to other Octarians? Because from what she'd heard, he was the _farthest_ thing from a softie. Was she a special case or something? It couldn't have been because of what she'd told him she'd been through; he seemed nervous _even_ before she said anything.

Just as her curiosity began to get the better of her, she heard the distant cry of a greeting from Ilkani. She supposed she could find out what his majesty's deal was later.

_"Hey, watch your head, Eight! Incoming delivery!"_ The Octoling yelled.

Eight stared up and observed in slight amusement as a pair of Octocopters flew in, gently setting a crate on the ground in front of her. They unhooked their footwear and landed, doing some stretches to relieve themselves.

Ilkani ran in moments later, giving them a thumbs up. _"Nice hustle fellas. Have fun exploring the mountain."_

One turned and raised a brow at her. _"And you're 100% positive there aren't any Inkling soldiers around that'll shoot us down once we leave our safe zones?"_

Ilkani gave a smile, turning to Eight. _"She says there aren't. I trust her."_

Eight gave a laugh and scratched her cheek. _"From what I've heard, the only Inklings ever up on Mount Nantai are tourists, so you should be fine."_

The other Octocopter blinked. _"What is 'tourists?'"_

She blinked in turn, realizing that _of course_ the concept would be lost on the other Octarians. _"It, uh, it means they're unarmed. Just sightseeing. Mountains have nice views."_

The Octocopter pair made matching sounds of understanding. _"Ooohhhh. Ok, just checking."_ Replied the first one, and then the pair flew off. Not before one of them took a moment to stare at a certain snow globe, though. Octavio glared back, indignant, and the Octocopter made himself scarce.

Eight mentally added the interaction to her evidence list.

Ilkani laid a hand on the crate, giving her a gentle smile. _"This was everything I could find. Some of it was stuff you left at my station, but most of it was collected from yours when they stationed someone else there."_

Eight stood up and approached the container. _"What kind of stuff did I keep? I honestly remember exactly none of my time down there."_

Ilkani patted the box. _"Open this bad boy up and find out!"_

And so she did, but doing so without a weapon went against all of her current muscle memory. Ugh, it was so much more satisfying to destroy these things. She almost wished she'd brought her Brella.

Inside the crate was a bizarre collection of items. Most of it was old armor, replacement Oct Shots, standard military stuff, she guessed. But there was also an ink tank that seemed to have been broken for years, years even before she would've left the Canyon in the first place. Why had she kept this?

_"Why did I keep this?"_ She asked Ilkani as she pulled it out of the crate.

Ilkani shrugged. _"I think it was the sentiment? I'm pretty sure it was your first one, and when you got it replaced you wanted to keep it as a reminder of how far you'd climbed to get there. You got your new one right after you got promoted."_

Eight observed the cloudy, cracked surface of the old tank. It had a sloppy marker doodle on the bottom of what looked like an...Octocopter?

_"Did...did I draw Benny on this?"_ She asked quietly as she turned it over.

Ilkani looked at the doodle and smirked. _"Oh my cod you nerd. I keep forgetting how long you guys knew each other."_ She laughed.

The Octoling giggled to herself. _"I'll take that as a yes then."_ She set the tank down, making a mental note to see if Marina(maybe Sheldon if she was lucky) could repair it. It'd be a neat little memento to have.

She shifted through more stuff. There was a stack of old papers, but almost every single one was ruined by ink, moisture, or just time to the point that they were all unreadable. _"Do you know what these were?"_

_"Probably the monthly letters updating protocol. As an elite you were_ busy _. Really busy most of the time. Luckily I was in your squad though so it didn't detract from us spending time together."_

Eight squinted at the stack of papers, and then raised her squinty eyes to meet Ilkani's. _"...we did get to spend_ real _time together, right?"_

The other Octoling looked genuinely confused. _"Are patrols...fake time?"_

_"N-no, I mean, did we not hang out outside of that? Surely there was down time, right?"_

Ilkani's head tilted slightly to the side. _"At night there was, but you were insistent on using those hours strictly for rest so you'd be alert for the rest of the day."_

Eight took a moment to try and not get distressed by Ilkani repeatedly not getting the point she was trying to make. It was genuinely upsetting that she didn't seem to see anything wrong with 100% of her time being devoted to working.

_"I really don't know how to explain to you that you should have free time, Ilkani."_ She eventually retorted, eyebrows furrowing.

Ilkani made a face of realization. _"Ooooohhhhh, yeah, that. You mean time we spent together not working."_

Eight nodded.

_"In that case we'd sometimes sneak off during patrol to go make out, but it took a lot of convincing on my part. You're very dedicated. Or, uh, you were."_

The other Octoling blushed. _"A-ah, yes. Ok. B-but I mean, was there really no allotted personal hours? Was the only way we got to spend time together slacking off during work?"_

She tilted her head to the side. _"Again, we had personal hours at night."_

_"I mean other than that. Sleep doesn't really count, otherwise no one would be able to function."_

She hummed thoughtfully. _"At our stations? No, I don't think so. Like I said, you certainly had a lot to do, since you were an elite. And as part of your squad I was on duty whenever you were."_

Eight shook her head and put the paper stack back in the crate. _"You know what, never mind. That sounds depressing and I think maybe I'd rather not think about it."_

Ilkani shrugged. _"Eh, suit yourself."_

Eight continued to sift through her stuff. Most of it seemed rather inconsequential. Things like laminated timetables and work mantras, bottles of weapon polish, nothing that told her anything about who she used to be. All anything seemed to say was 'a soldier' and nothing more. Did she really not have any personal items??

Until she came across one last item, buried at the bottom of the crate.

A journal.

She lifted it up, blowing off a thin layer of dust on its surface. It simply said 'Log' on the cover. She stared at it for a few long moments.

Ilkani stared as well. _"What did you find?"_

_"Is this...a diary or something?"_

The other leaned closer to get a better look. _"Well it says 'log' so I'd guess it's probably more work stuff. Daily progress reports."_

Eight wasn't convinced. She opened the first page and saw...poetry. _Her_ poetry. She'd recognize her own style anywhere. Three lines, each with eight syllables; the style she used for all her poems. She read the first poem.

_Now something strange has happened here_   
_She must think me a blinded fool_   
_To miss the signs she's made so clear_

All at once, something came rushing back to her. She gripped her head and let out a gasp as something came into her mind.

* * *

_There she was, again, looking at her with those eyes again. It was painfully obvious, but it was also painfully obvious she thought she was being subtle. She let out a sigh. "What do you want, Ilkani? You'll bore a hole in the side of my head if you keep staring."_

_A blush overtook her face at being called out. "Wh-what? No, it's nothing I just...well I don't need anything, no..." she replied, scratching the back of her head._

_"Good. Because I still need to study and your ogling is distracting me." She said in response, eyes scanning over the details in her notes. "Just because there's favoritism doesn't mean I still don't want to earn this fairly, you know."_

_Ilkani looked away. "I know, I know. I really admire that about you, you know? If I had his majesty's favor already I would probably be a lot more tempted to take shortcuts."_

_She smiled to herself in response. "You're not very subtle, you know. You might as well be open about how you feel, Ilkani."_

_The other made some kind of sputtering noise in response, and was probably making a funny face, but her eyes were still fixed on her notebook. "I, I don't know wh-what you're talking about, Garra! You must be mistaken-"_

_"So you think I'm dumb, Ilki?"_

_"N-no, of course not! You're smart and charming, and cool and pretty and tough and-" She immediately cut herself off with a yelp. "I-uh. Uh."_

_Her eyes rose from their previous point of fixation and met Ilkani's. She was amused. "See, that wasn't that hard. It's quite simple when you put your mind to it."_

_She covered her face with her hands. "Garratiaaaaaa! You're making fun of me, aren't you?" She mumbled, flustered._

_"No, I just don't see the point in beating around the bush when it's clear you have something you want to happen. So you might as well just ask me, right?"_

_Ilkani looked away for a moment, and when she looked back she was anything but confident. Determined maybe, but not confident. "G-Garratia, I want to be your, your girlfriend. C-can we, can I...when you get to be an elite, I wanna be in your squad with you."_

_She stood up from her metal chair and pushed her notes a little as she did so. She approached Ilkani, and smiled. "See, there you go. Easy." She said, holing Ilkani's hand in her own as her own face turned a bit pink._

_Ilkani's resolve faltered a little, but she still looked hopeful. "I-is that, is that a yes or...?"_

_She laughed. "Yes, Ilki. It is."_

* * *

Eight shook her head as her mind cleared once more. Was that...was that a memory? Of when she and Ilkani were kids? She wrote a poem about it...and reading it now triggered a memory! Was the rest of the journal filled with even more poems?! Was her entire life laid out on these pages?!

_"Eight? Eight! Are you listening to me, are you ok?"_ Ilkani's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and her head jerked up in alarm.

_"Ah, y-yeah, I'm fine. I just..."_ She looked down at the book in her hands and quickly closed it again. _"I think...I'm going to keep this as a souvenir. Most of the other stuff in there probably isn't worth much."_ Aside from the Ink tank, of course. Aside from that there wasn't a _speck_ of personality left in that crate.

Ilkani frowned a little. _"Dang, I was hoping some of this stuff would help. Sorry to let you down, G...Eight."_

Eight looked down at the book in her arms and frowned as well. _"Don't worry about it."_

* * *

As Eight left with the tank and book in tow, Ilkani turned to head back to her dome, but then...

_"Ilkani."_

She froze, and slowly turned to see the stern expression on the king's face.

_"I'd like a word with you."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...like writing poems...guys...
> 
> Leave comments! I'd love to see how y'all feel about the story so far! At the moment only three more chapters have been written, so in the next couple days I'll port them over. Once I get to that point updates will slow a lot rip...but I do have a pretty solid idea of what kinds of stuff the next chapters will be about. I've got a solid ending point in mind. But I'm also coming to the realization that I have plenty of ideas for stuff AFTER that ending point. So there'll probably be a third installment! So look forward to that I guess!


	16. Reading material

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theories are concocted and discoveries are made

Eight and Three sat together outside Grizzco, Eight holding the Training Manual in her hands while they conversed.

"So, what do you think? Changed your mind about Salmon Run or no?" Three inquired.

Eight looked up from the pamphlet and smiled. "W-well the Salmonids still freak me out a bit, but I think I'm handling it now better than I was earlier." Her eyes crinkled with affection. "Having you there makes everything easier."

Three laughed quietly, blushing a bit herself. "Happy to help." Her gaze drifted to the paper in her girlfriend's hands and she gave a light smirk. "Never took you for a studious employee."

She looked down at the manual and then back up at Three. She chuckled sheepishly. "E-eh, just curious what it says I suppose. I want to do well." She closed the pamphlet and pulled out the other bit of reading material from Grizzco; the Salmonid Field Guide. "That...and I found something _weird_ in here earlier."

Three raised an eyebrow. "Weird in what way, exactly?"

Eight flipped to the page about Scrappers and pointed at the illustration. "I was too busy trying not to die to notice this earlier, but look. That's an Octotrooper shield. I'd recognize it anywhere."

Three's eyes widened slightly. "...you're right. How would..."

"I was wondering about that too, but then I found the answer in...this section." She flipped to the Goldie Seeking page and read the supplementary information aloud. "It says 'Salmonids obtained the technology to create Gushers through trade with Octarians.' I'd be willing to bet they get hand-me-down shields from that same agreement."

The Inkling squinted. "Octarians and Salmonids have trade agreements?"

Eight nodded. "I believe so. I must've forgotten. I should've guessed, honestly; I have a bunch of Mem Cakes that look like Boss Salmonids."

Three was still squinting. "Ok, better question; why would Mr. Grizz know about it? Most Inklings don't even realize Octarians are real, never mind active in this weird terrorism economy."

Eight frowned. "Can it really be called that? What does that even mean?"

"I read the scrolls Four found and there were a couple that said many ancient cities fell to the Salmonid tides. Those things are dangerous and if Octavio felt like supporting that then it is _definitely_ some kind of terrorism." Three explained with a slight frown. "But that doesn't explain why Grizz would know about the Octarian involvement."

The Octoling gave a thoughtful hum, resting her cheek in her palm. "Do you think... _he's_ an Octarian? It would explain why he knows."

Three narrowed her eyes. "Maybe, but that wouldn't explain why he hates them so much. You heard how agitated he got."

She shuddered. "Y-yeah, don't remind me."

There was a pause. "Hmm." Three turned to Eight and squinted at the pamphlet. "Do you mind if I look at this real quick?"

"Oh, go ahead." Eight replied, handing it to her.

Three skimmed over the pages, looking intently for something, and then she stopped. She turned to Eight with a perplexed look on her face before showing her the Cohock Charge page. She pointed at an excerpt from the bottom.

_'Apparently there are special rooms in the Salmonid barracks set aside for large numbers of Cohocks to gather and practice.'_

Eight squinted in turn. "Hmmm. Can't imagine why an Octarian would know that."

"Honestly I can't imagine why anyone other than a Salmonid would know that." Three said in return. "Man, this is gonna bug me now."

"Me too..." She frowned. "Honestly though, I think the more relevant information here is still the fact that Octarians and Salmonids do trade with each other." She looked like she was deep in thought. "That...seems like something worth looking into, don't you think? Maybe?"

"Any reason in particular?"

"I mean...me and Ilkani haven't made much progress in finding Benny yet, but if there's somewhere he would've gone...maybe it'd be with Salmonids if they were our allies?" She offered sheepishly. "It's probably a stretch, but any idea is better than no idea."

Three gave an understanding nod. "Fair point. I'll let Cuttlefish know the next time I see him. All hands on deck."

Eight gently took the field guide back and skimmed through it again. "...these Grillers look an awful lot like Flooders."

Three leaned closer and her eyes widened. "Huh. The plot thickens. What was Octavio getting out of this, I wonder."

"Eggs probably." Eight responded immediately. "If I remember correctly, Power Eggs are indispensable as both a power source and currency if there were extra. Everyone had a few on them in case of emergency, be it a power crisis or a financial one."

The Inkling blinked at her. "Did that just come to you now or did you know that already?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it again as her expression shifted to confusion. "I...think I knew we had eggs, but I may have only just connected the dots as to where we got them from...?" She offered meekly.

Three shrugged. "Well, it's something. Do you want to do another shift before we leave? For research's sake?"

Eight pondered the idea. "I mean, it seems pretty conclusive that the Octarians are involved with the Salmonids already, but...you know what, you're not always free, I'd hate to waste an opportunity to hang out with you..." She coughed. "I definitely can't do Salmon Run without you here..." She added quietly.

Three put a hand on her shoulder, helped her to her feet, and they entered Grizzco together.

* * *

That afternoon, Eight sat in her room, staring at her journal. That old journal, the log, the one that surely housed everything about who she used to be.

She was scared.

What if she found out things she didn't want to know? What if she'd been a terrible person; what if she was _still_ that terrible person underneath all the amnesia?

But, she was still going to read it. She had to. Even if it was one entry a week, she was going to get through it. She owed it to herself.

She owed it to Benny, too. What if she'd written about where they'd gone? There could be a hint to his whereabouts...somehow.

She was tempted to just skip to the end and find out...but something was stopping her.

She may have forged a new life up here on the surface, but it had still only been about six months by this point. Not long at all compared to the years of life she'd lived down there. And she guessed it was, at most, four years ago when she'd written that first entry. There was a significant portion of her life on these pages. An important portion, at the very least.

She was scared.

There was so much. She was a different person back then. Would she become that person again if she got those memories back? She seemed so strange in the one she recalled. Like she knew what she was doing; like she was confident. In command of whatever situation she was apart of.

It wasn't her. It couldn't be her. It felt wrong.

Her hand crept over to rest on the book. Her brow furrowed. _'This isn't something that will kill me.'_ She thought to herself. _'I don't need to be scared of this. I shouldn't be scared of this. It's not going to change me. It's just...context. It's just context.'_

She pulled the book a little closer. Opened it to the first page once more, and sighed. This old poem definitely wasn't her best work. Not that it surprised her really, she definitely had more important things to worry about back then. She turned the page.

...

Oh.

She remembered this one. This was the poem she...she thought she'd come up with this in the metro. Did she not? Why was it here?

_A hilltop picnic, friends and fruit_   
_Your whirling blades provide us shade_   
_I raise a hand in mock salute_

Seeing it here confused her but- oh no here comes another headache. Why now? She already knew this poem!

* * *

_They all sat together on a hill. The light from the dome-lamp overhead was oppressive and bright, but it was familiar. It was nice._

_It was a special occasion: any break from training had to be. But Garratia wouldn't miss this for the world._

_Ilkani and Lumin both raised a melon slice into the air. "Here's to passing! To glory and status!" Ilkani cheered._

_Lumin beamed. "I know I said this earlier but congrats again, Garratia! I can't believe you did it!"_

_The newly-christened elite raised an amused brow. "What's so hard to believe?"_

_"N-nothing, you're awesome, I'm just proud of you!"_

_Benny and Ingo chuckled._

_The Octotrooper wrapped his head-tentacle around a slice of his own and brought it too his mouth. Benny pouted at him._

_Ingo smirked. "What, feeling left out, target practice?"_

_"Hey, it's not my fault I have no hands!"_

_Garratia gave a chuckle. "Here Benny, let me help you." She picked up a slice of melon and held it out to him._

_Ingo rolled his eyes and gave a side glance back at Lumin. Lumin just chuckled warmly._

_Benny took a bite and beamed. "Mmm..." He swallowed and gave a grateful nod. "Thanks, Garratia."_

_"Anytime." She replied._

_There was a brief power surge in that moment, the dome lamp going slightly dark. They all looked up, concerned. Then everything went back to normal, and the lamp was extremely bright once more. Garratia held up a hand to block the light. "Man, stupid surge."_

_Benny looked like he'd gotten an idea. "Wait a sec..." His face took on a look of concentration, and his helmet switched on. He floated into the air, and wiggled himself so that he was blocking the light. "Is that better?"_

_The Octoling chuckled. "Perfect." She raised a hand, bringing it to her forehead. "Thank you, Commander." She smiled._

_Ilkani rolled her eyes and saluted him as well. Lumin followed suite._

_Benny was beaming. "Aww, you guys, I'm just blocking the light." He mumbled, blushing a bit._

_Ingo took another bite of his melon slice, distracted. Lumin nudged him._

_The Octotrooper turned to look at him. "What?"_

_Lumin gestured up towards the Octocopter._

_Ingo squinted at Benny, then turned back to Lumin. "Again, what?"_

_"Say thank you or something, geez." Ilkani scolded._

_Ingo groaned. "You're not the Elite here, Ilkani, Garratia is. You can't tell me what to do."_

_His attention was suddenly caught by a death glare from the Elite in question. "Tell him thank you." She demanded, tone leaving no room for argument._

_Ingo swallowed. "Th-thank you Benny." He stammered out._

_Garratia's eyes softened_ immediately _, and she clasped her hands together. "Great. Now where were we?" She chirped as she grabbed another slice of melon._

_Ilkani burst out laughing._

_Lumin chuckled and threw an arm around Ingo, who seemed too startled still to stop him._

_And Benny floated there, gazing at his friends with nothing short of adoration in his eyes._

_Garratia was sure she'd miss them all if they didn't get to be in her squad._

* * *

Eight opened her eyes again as the headache subsided. She stared down at the book, that poem, that entry, and her eyes began to water.

She gently closed the book, scooted it away from her, and pulled her knees to her chest. The tears fell silently. She wasn't sure if she was even sad; she just felt like she needed to cry.

She made no effort to stop it.

Perhaps it would be best if she didn't read any more of these old poems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO HOW BOUT THOSE SPLATFEST RESULTS, EH?? EH??????? Gonna have to have some more Pearlina in this series at some point, Nintendo said so...
> 
> Anyway, what do y'all think Grizz is? I need to set up a poll or something lol. Cuz I've got like four ideas and I'm not sure which one I like the most. Not that it'll have much of an impact on this story really, I just think about this Dubious Fisherman a great deal
> 
> Leave comments! Let me know if this story is hurting your heart! That means I'm doing my job right!!


	17. Benny's Quest, part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One month after the fall...

Things had fallen into a comfortable routine for the most part. Jule, the friendly Smallfry merchant he'd spoken to, had passed word to the others that Benny was harmless, and to go easy on him because he had to put up with Deco. But...if Benny was being honest? Deco wasn't that bad.

He didn't talk the same as the others, sure. He seemed to have some sort of hoarding problem (Jule had explained that his inability to share was his reason for exile) and didn't know a real Salmonid egg from a golden ball. But...he protected him when Glowflies came around. He snarled and hissed and slapped a Chum with that pan when they'd tried to follow a stray Fly into the kitchen. Then he ate the Glowfly to stop them from following it.

He'd later admitted to Benny that unlike most Salmonids, he actually hated the taste of Glowfly. Benny had been too shaken up to ask why he'd ate it anyway. Don't look a gift seahorse in the mouth, as they say.

There were other things too. Like the way he polished the pan he'd given Benny every time he felt the need to take it off. Or how he'd gathered together all he could to make him a makeshift bed. It was more a nest of blankets than a bunk like he was used to, but it was better than anything he'd ever had because it'd been _given_ , not _provided_. It was a strange distinction, but now that he'd been away from the other Octarians for a month he knew it to be an important one.

He was still standoffish, though. Didn't like it if Benny looked at his 'egg' for too long. Seemed to get irritated whenever he sent the Octocopter off to fetch something. Insisted on being alone when the fog rolled in.

But he could tell by now that, at the very least, he wasn't a bad fish. Not in the way the others seemed to always imply. He may have been aggressive and snappy, but he wasn't...what was the word he was thinking of...volatile? Something like that. Deco'd never hurt him. That's what he meant.

Though...Benny could tell that _today_ would put that to the test. He definitely got loud when he was impatient and that hurt in a different way.

"And...you're _sure_ you want to come with me...?" Benny asked for about the third time.

Deco nodded, eyes squinty and irritable. But that wasn't exactly out of the ordinary. "Deco sure. Deco very sure, octo stop asking now?" He grumbled.

He gave a nervous laugh. "O-ok, fine, but...are you sure you're ok with leaving your egg here...?" He continued, glancing back at Deco's treasure pile.

The Snatcher moved his body to block Benny's view. "Egg...Deco lock door." He muttered quietly. "Deco know if break in. Sense eg..." He added. "If take egg, Deco rip off fin."

"Uh...do you mean their fin, or-?"

"Yes. Egg taker fin get rip. No fin no more. Learn not mess with Deco egg!" Deco boasted loudly.

Benny sighed. "Well...ok, if you're sure you're ok with coming with me and leaving your egg here...all alone..." He trailed off. He really wanted to give Deco as much of a chance to back out as he could. Considering how firm he usually was about not leaving his hut, he was worried that he wouldn't be as ok with everything as he said he would be.

Deco groaned. "Ugh, octo slow and not smart. Deco already say yes! Move!" He smushed his head against Benny's back and forcefully pushed him out the front door. "Waste time bad!"

Benny hopped forward a little to put some distance between them. "A-alright, I'm moving! Let's...let's go."

* * *

"Well hey there Ben...ny. Oh." The Chum began, only to trail off when he saw Deco standing beside him. "Wh-what can I help you with?"

Benny cleared his throat, noticing how Deco shifted so he was standing behind him now. "Uh, you said last time you'd have sticky paper in by today. Just came to pick some up."

The Chum's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah, yes, that's right. Give me a moment." He leaned down to fish around behind his stall, and when he arose he had the item in question. "That'll be 20 eggs."

Benny looked back at Deco, who pulled out his pouch. "Deco haggle."

Benny laughed awkwardly. "N...no, you don't need to. Just give him the eggs."

Deco grumbled something unintelligible, seeming to be some kind of upset, but did so anyway.

The Chum merchant fixed the Snatcher with a hesitant stare, but nonetheless counted out the eggs with as much care as any merchant aught to.

"Yeah, 20 alright. And good condition like they're supposed to be. Color me surprised. Here's the paper." He held out the sticky paper, only to realize that Benny had no fins...or hands. Or anything even _sort of_ prehensile. He awkwardly fumbled for a moment before he just settled for placing it atop the pan hat. "Come again next time you need something."

"S-sure will." Benny replied, awkwardly balancing the package atop his head.

Deco groaned, snatching the item off his head and holding it himself. "Deco take care of it."

The Octarian let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

They moved on, and the Chum watched them go with a perplexed look on his face.

Their next stop was Jule's stall. One of Benny's favorite places in town, if he was being honest. Friendliest fish he'd met so far.

Though, at the moment, she wasn't the one actually manning the stall; Hiko was, and he seemed to be having something like an argument with a customer.

"L-look, is it possible that you could, perhaps, maybe, _please_ calm down a moment?? P-please? Everyone else is busy right now. It's just me and Gel and-" He was trying to sound confident, but it wasn't working.

The customer, a pale-ish Smallfry brandishing a knife, hopped up onto the counter and pointed his weapon at Hiko angrily. "Look coward, I was promised that there'd be minnows today, and I don't see you cooking minnows back there!!"

Hiko put on a strained smile, and Benny could tell he was shaking. "W-w-well, Jule and Yugo and Kim are all out hunting right now! So, so if you come back later today, a-after they get back, they'll probably have those minnows for you!"

"Probably?!" The little thing squeaked, furious as far as the Octocopter could tell. "What do you mean 'probably'?! I was promised minnows!!"

Benny almost wanted to step in and help Hiko out, but...that Smallfry definitely had a knife and he wanted _no part_ of that.

Luckily, another Chum stepped forward from inside the stall and glared down at the Smallfry. "Look, it'll still be today when they're back from hunting. So just sit tight and come back later. You'll get what you've been promised. If you don't you'll have to take it up with Jule herself when she gets back."

The Smallfry's fin trembled as it held the knife shakily. "O-oh yeah?! Yeah, sure, I guess I'll come back _later_ and have a word with her, huh?!" He growled. "You know, you don't scare me, chef boy!"

The Chum lifted his personal pan and glared down at him harder. "I _will_ smack you into the water, bud. You better leave and be patient or else."

Fear flashed across the Smallfry's expression for a brief second, and then he let out a laugh. "Wait, I know you! You're Butterfingers!"

The Chum reddened. "My name is Gel."

The Smallfry only laughed harder. "Ol Butterfingers Slipperfin! You're threatening me?! You couldn't hit the broad side of a Steelhead! Ha!"

Hiko continued to hide behind Gel, and his eyes suddenly shot up to meet Benny's. They widened, and rather than frightened, they took on a pleading look.

Benny gulped and stepped forward, but before he could do anything, Deco swiped the pan off his head and swooped in, swatting the Smallfry off the counter in one swift motion. The tiny thing went flying into the water in an arch. Deco picked up the knife and chucked it into the water after him.

Gel blinked. "Oh. Oh hey there." He mumbled in shock.

Benny ran up to stand beside Deco, letting out a sigh. "Th-thanks Deco. That's more than I would've been able to do for sure."

Deco set the pan back on Benny's head with a scoff. "Octo take too long. Deco help on behalf."

Benny nodded, then turned to look at the pair of Chum behind the counter with concern. "Is that guy...a regular or something?"

Hiko shook, and Gel gave an exasperated nod. "Unfortunately yes. He likes to yell, but not at Jule because they got exiled from the same place at around the same time. So he always comes by when she's out so he can take out his frustrations on us." Gel frowned. "Hiko, why'd you offer to man the counter again? You knew this would happen."

Hiko shuddered. "I-I-I thought I, thought I could get over it, maybe..."

The other chum sighed and rested a fin on his head. "You don't _need_ to, though. You do just fine on the grill." He turned back to the other two. "Either way, thank you...Deco. What'd you guys stop by for? Surely not to help us out."

"Well I was coming by to ask Jule about something, but I guess she's out right now. I'll come back later..."

Hiko took a deep breath and finally scooted out from behind Gel. "W-well we might be able to help anyway. What did, what did you want to ask about?"

Benny cleared his throat. "Well, I don't think you guys know this, but Octarians like me are actually omnivores. I've been able to survive fine on the stuff you guys have here, but I was wondering if there's any place around her to get, like, fruits or vegetables or something."

Gel's eyes widened. "Oh. I didn't realize. I mean, around here? There's probably not much. But there's probably some water plants down there?" He said, gesturing to the lapping green waters just behind them.

The Octarian shuddered at the idea. "W-well I certainly can't get those. Can't swim. And back underground we had more on the fruit side of things anyway...engineered some fancy lights to help them grow down there."

Hiko frowned. "Th-there might be some up the mountain? Nothing like that down by the village, though."

"Darn." Benny muttered with a pout.

Deco squinted at the Octarian. "Benny not climb?"

"I still don't have hands...so no." He mumbled back.

Deco snorted.

Gel cleared his throat. "Anyways...is that all you wanted? Or did you also wanna pick up something?"

Benny turned back to Deco. "Do we need anything?"

Deco shook his head.

"Then...no. We're good." He bowed his head a little. "Thank you for your time."

Gel snickered. "Man you are WAY too polite to be living in a place like this. Have a nice freakin day."

Benny beamed. "Y-you too! Bye!" He replied, turning to leave.

Deco idled by the counter for just a bit longer, staring Hiko in the eye, before he too turned to follow Benny.

Hiko shuddered a little. "What is up with him?!" He whimpered quietly.

Gel narrowed his eyes. "Honestly, I'm pretty sure that mystery will follow us to our watery graves."

* * *

The rest of the day went by smoothly, and soon enough they were back at Deco's hut. The moment the door was open, the Snatcher dove in and made a beeline for his treasure pile, scooping up his golden ball in his fins and curling his entire body around it protectively. He made a happy sound that Benny had never heard before.

It made him stop dead in his tracks, that sound. Like he was witnessing something that no one else ever had before. Like this was some sort of heavily guarded secret. Like this was a precious moment that would melt away into the darkness in a few moments.

...he really didn't know what it was about this town that made him feel so wistful and poetic. Garratia would be proud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway I know I've been making Benny easy to empathize with but good gosh if I don't LOVE Deco to pieces y'all he's just a fun boyo to write
> 
> Leave comments! Comments are to me what Deco's ball is to him!


	18. Fluffy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight discovers that her girlfriend is a nerd

Curled up on the couch together, watching a cute animated movie; Eight was certain this was her new favorite State In Which To Exist. It was perfect and beautiful.

They had separate blankets though...which was nice, but suddenly seemed less than ideal. She was covered in softness, smothered by it even...but Three was probably softer, right? She kinda wanted to find out.

_"But mother, I don't want to go to the beach today!"_ Called out the character on the screen. He was a young seagull, mostly white with golden wingtips. The main character, from what Eight could tell.

She diverted her attention from the screen to her girlfriend, who was leaning into the side of the couch and watching the movie with the softest of smiles on her face.

And gosh if that didn't just make Eight's hearts a warm pile of _sap_.

_"Achilles, dear, you need to learn eventually."_ Said the seagull's mother. _"What'll happen if we have to leave here, and you still can't fly?"_

Little Achilles flapped his wings indignantly. _"You don't understand, mother! The air is changing! It won't be safe to fly for much longer!"_

_"Is this about that silly dream of yours again? I told you already, dear, children do not have visions. You just had a nightmare, nothing's going to happen."_

_"But-"_

_"Come along, dear."_

Eight scooted a bit closer to Three. Three turned to look at her for a moment, smiled, then turned back to the movie.

The plot marched on, and the young seagull tried in vain to warn his mother of the imminent danger to no avail.

Eight snuggled up a _little_ closer to her girlfriend, enough so that she was leaning her head on her shoulder. Three blushed a little but seemed to keep her attention on the screen.

Eight watched the screen as attentively as she could. The beach where the seagulls lived was soon beset by a mighty whirlwind, swiftly snatching away all the gulls that tried to fly to escape it; all but Achilles, who was blown back into a tree and knocked unconscious. He got another vision that told him to head down the coast. It was time for a journey to begin.

Eight thought it was cute so far. Nice setup. She didn't really know enough about movies to have an opinion more complex than that. She kept her head on Three's shoulder.

The next scene was a short montage of Achilles traveling, on foot, through the woods. "Why is he in the forest?" The Octoling asked. "Isn't he headed down the beach?"

"Shelter from the wind?" Three offered, glancing for a moment down to her girlfriend.

"Hm." She was her only reply. There was a pause, and the music abruptly stopped. A sound echoed around the little bird, and he whipped his head around to find the source of the mysterious-

"Isn't that the sound the Great Zapfish makes?" Eight inquired.

Three blinked. "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh you're not supposed to know that." She replied with a pout, and only a few seconds later did a Zapfish appear on screen. It wasn't as big as the Great Zapfish, but it's colors mirrored it. It also had legs for some reason?

"Why does it have legs? Zapfish don't have legs."

"Just be patient, Eight." Three replied quietly, as the Zapfish-creature introduced himself as Kalyn the Zapdragon.

"...what's that mean." Eight asked quietly in response.

"You know, a dragon. But it looks like a Zapfish? Zapfish dragon."

"What is? A dragon?"

Three was so flabbergasted that she picked up the remote and paused the movie, leaving Kalyn frozen mid-sentence. "Oh my Cod that is the saddest thing I've ever heard." She whispered in what Eight could only describe as barely contained horror.

Eight just frowned in confusion. "What? What's wrong?"

"You...you don't know what dragons are and it is _killing_ my _heart_ right now." Three said in response, eyes wide and disbelieving.

"Sh...should I know?"

Three's eyes narrowed in thought. "I mean...I _guess_ that's something that wouldn't have come up when we were telling you about surface stuff but...that's so _sad_ dragons are so _cool_." She replied with a small pout.

Eight looked a little nervous. "Um...sorry...?"

Three blinked. "N...no, don't apologize, it's not your fault. I'm just sad on your behalf because you have no idea what your missing." A grin took hold on her face. "Buuut that also means I get to be the one to tell you!"

Eight's lips upturned in amusement. It was always nice to see her excited about something. "Ok then...what's a dragon?"

Three looked close to beaming. "Big mythological salamanders. They control lightning according to legend. Our legends at least. They say that they create storms out at sea to protect themselves from nosy fisherman." She smirked. "But that's only _our_ accounts and folklore. According to historians, humans also had dragon myths!"

Eight's eyes widened, and she sneakily snuck an arm underneath Three's blanket as she continued to ramble.

The other agent didn't notice. "Human dragon myths make them sound like giant flying lizards that breath fire. Which begs the question: if dragons are real, which myths are right? Is there more than one type of dragon? Or did they evolve like we did when the world flooded?"

"Wait, _are_ they real animals?"

Three held up a finger matter-of-factly. "General consensus is no, but I think it'd be illogical for two sapient species separated by millions of years to have such similar myths if they weren't real animals."

Eight turned back to the screen for a moment, squinting at Kalyn. "Why does this one look like the Great Zapfish then?"

Three shrugged. "I think they made up the species to both allude to a creature we're all pretty familiar with, i.e. the Great Zapfish, and one that inspires awe and mystery, i.e. a Dragon." She paused to give Eight another smirk. "Unless you're a conspiracy theorist, in which case you'd argue that the Great Zapfish is a dragon _already_."

Eight couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her at that.

Three raised a brow, still smirking. "What? He's big, controls lightning, he can fly, and he lived in the sea before we got him up here. Totally sounds like a dragon! In fact, I'm pretty sure the only reason we don't as a society refer to him as a dragon is because he's so very definitely real."

Eight didn't respond, opting just to stare up at Three with big, affectionate eyes.

It took a few seconds for Three to notice, and then she blushed. "W-what?"

The Octoling's eye crinkled some more. "I've just never seen you so animated before! It's cute."

She blushed a bit more and averted her gaze in embarrassment. "...c-cute? If you say so..."

"It is! You're usually so calm and collected most of the time; and don't get me wrong, that's _very_ cool, but it's really refreshing whenever you get excited about stuff!" She giggled. "You must really like this movie. Or just dragons in general, one of the two."

"A-ah, well, mostly the latter. Though I've always had a soft spot for this movie, too..." She admits, and she makes to remove her arm from beneath the blanket to rub the back of her head...only to realize with a start that Eight had somehow, without her noticing, squirmed her way underneath her blanket and wrapped her arms around Three's own. She blinked. "When did..."

Eight just smirked, nuzzling her face into Three's shoulder as her grip on her arm tightened slightly. "Cuddle time is _now_." She said quietly, relishing in her tiny victory.

Three blushed some more. "How did you-"

The Octoling, rather than reply, turned into Octopus form and cuddled up in Three's lap under the blanket _. "Bwee!"_ She cooed happily.

It took Three a flustered moment or two to react, but when she managed to, it was with a light laugh. She scooped Eight up in her arms and held her in such a way that she'd still be able to see the movie. Then she planted a kiss to her slippery head.

Eight made another happy sound in response. She wrapped a tentacle around Three's arm.

"Dork." Three murmured affectionately, and with a press of a button, the movie resumed.

* * *

Bonus pic of the fake movie protags:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Writing filler?? It's more likely than you think
> 
> Also, me? Finding a way to mention dragons in a story?? It's INFINITELY more likely than you think
> 
> Two more chapters to port over as of right now! Though I still have a few more ideas so like...who knows I might have more soon. But I'm gonna space out the updates a bit more so I have some time y'all.
> 
> The fake movie is called 'Soaring Mage' btw. Literally came up with it right this second. Cheers.


	19. Maps and awkward moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginnings of a plan are made

_"Did she say this was the only map of the area she could find?"_

_"The only one Captain Cuttlefish could find that had anything useful, yes."_

_"Look Eight I know I can't read any of this but even I can tell this is pitiful at best."_

Eight let out a sigh. _"Well this is the most detailed one he could find. But it's also the one they give to tourists, so therefore there's a bunch of information that they just wouldn't have access to."_

Ilkani rolled her eyes. _"I still don't get_ why _. Did they not explore this place before opening it up to this 'tourism' thing?"_

The other Octoling gave her a deadpan look. _"Ilkani, have you_ seen _how dangerous and precarious half of these rock formations are? There's probably a reason all the Kettles are hidden out here."_

As the two poured over the map, and an old Octarian-made chart that Ilkani had brought, Three leaned against the glass of Octavio's snow globe.

"You're brave for being here at all." Octavio grumbled to her. "I know her well: if they were still partners, Ilkani would've ripped you to shreds by now."

Three's eyes narrowed. She was faced away from him, but he could guess the expression she was making. "I'd really like to see her try." The agent replied.

"Don't act like you're invincible. You told me yourself that Eight beat you when you were, how did you phrase that again...?"

"I think I said 'beefed up by brainwash slime.'"

"Yeah, that. If you were stronger than usual and she beat you, I'd be concerned about Ilkani. Those two were almost equals in combat. Eight hits harder, but Ilkani's faster. That kinda deal." The King remarked, waving a tentacle about as he did so.

Three took a moment to turn and look at him. Her eyes narrowed. "I'm beginning to get a bit suspicious about how much you know about them. Surely you can't know this much about _all_ your subjects."

Octavio looked away. "Frankly that's none of your business."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're the one blabbering to me, I'm just sitting here minding my _own_ business." She quipped. "I shouldn't be surprised, really. You _never_ seem to want to shut up."

The Octarian seethed, but managed to keep his mouth shut rather than prove her right with the sarcastic remark he _wanted_ to give. Three was almost impressed.

Meanwhile, Eight pointed at a section of Ilkani's map. _"Ok, this spot is pretty well-charted on both. Is that a bad sign or a good one?"_

Ilkani took a moment to cross-reference the Inkling map. _"Probably bad. If Inklings frequent this area enough then it probably wouldn't have been safe for you two to travel there in the first place."_

_"Maybe, But who's to say I would've even known which parts of the mountain are tourist spots?"_

_"Fair, but I'm betting on you guys referencing one of our maps when you decided where to go. This Inkling map is only useful for further clarification."_

Eight paused for a moment at that, then her eyes were drawn to vague suggestions of shapes on one side of the mountain. It was the tourist map, and there was...something, a bunch of somethings...in the water?

_"What about this area?"_ She inquired to Ilkani, gesturing to it.

Ilkani glanced at her sideways. _"I still can't read that map, Eight."_

_"No, I mean, I know that, but there's no text. Just shapes. Is there anything in this spot on your map?"_

Ilkani observed the spot on Eight's map and then glanced over to her own. She squinted. _"Stopping spot...? Checkpoint? What the shell is any of this supposed to mean or imply?"_ The Octoling murmured as she leered down at the map. _"And who wrote this? Their handwriting is_ terrible _."_

_"Can I see?"_ Eight asked, and Ilkani handed the map over. She stared at it, and then her eyes widened a little. _"There's some supplementary text here...underneath it. It's really tiny..."_ Her wide eyes quickly changed to a squint as she tried her best to see what the text said. _"Beware...sake of...relations, don't...without...Salmonid...!"_ Her eyes widened at the word. _"Is this some kind of Salmonid settlement?"_

Ilkani looked both impressed and confused. _"Uh, that might be possible, but is that important?"_

Eight paused, and then whipped around towards Octavio and Three. _"Oct..."_ She began, only to see the King and her girlfriend glaring each other down. She...wasn't really sure she should interrupt...whatever that was, but she definitely needed to talk to him. "Um, ah, excuse me, Three? Sir?"

Octavio noticed her first, tapped on the glass, and then Three turned around to see Eight's nervous expression. She sat up a bit straighter and coughed. "Y-yeah?" She inquired.

Eight shuffled a bit and stood up. She wrung her hands. "A-actually it's, um, him I wanted, wanted to talk to..." She offered sheepishly, looking from the snow globe to her girlfriend.

Once again, Octavio seemed to calm down immensely the moment the words came out of her mouth. Like whatever he was mad about before was irrelevant all of a sudden. "Y-yes! What did you need?"

Eight approached him slowly, and then pressed the map against the glass. "Is this a Salmonid settlement on that one side of the mountain?"

Octavio looked at the map, then at her. "Yes. Why, were you planning on _going_ there?"

"Maybe." Eight replied, looking down and away from him. "There seems to be some kind of warning written here, but the text is small and the handwriting's bad. But it's possible Benny might've gone there...maybe. Like the odds are slim but if we're allied with Salmonids then-"

"He probably wouldn't have known any better. It's a possibility." Octavio cut her off, pressing a tentacle to his mantle. "I know what that warning is about."

"You do? Wh-what is it? Is it dangerous? I mean, they are _Salmonids_ so that's probably a _yes_ but..."

Off to the side, Three had shuffled away so as not to interrupt. Ilkani stood beside her, arms crossed. Three gave a light wave, her mouth a thin line.

_"I still think she could do better than_ you _."_ The Octoling muttered.

Three's eyes narrowed. "I'm gonna guess that was an insult and ignore you." She murmured back.

Back at the snow globe, Octavio sighed, eyes sympathetic. "Quite the opposite, really. That's a place where they stick the exiles. The fish not good enough to be a part of the Swarm." He explained to Eight.

"So...they might not hurt him, then?"

"Likely not, but there's still cause for concern if he did go there. There's a reason there's a warning. We're not supposed to go there uninvited."

Eight's brow furrowed. "Why not?"

"Well, they usually stop there when they come to have summits with us, but to go there when the important Salmonids are absent is to, essentially, prioritize their outcasts. They consider it highly offensive."

The Octoling cringed. "Oh dear...so Benny probably wouldn't know that, then?"

"Can't imagine why he would. I wasn't exactly planning for anyone to be...outside their domes."

There was a brief moment of silence at that, in which there was much aversion of eye-contact. Eight coughed and then turned back to Ilkani.

Ilkani was grumbling something at Three. Three was doing her best to ignore her, but Eight could see her twitching eye from where she stood.

Eight opened her mouth to interrupt and hopefully catch their attention, but then she heard the next thing out of Ilkani's mouth.

_"-and that ridiculous fashion statement on your face is overkill."_

Eight speed-walked over and put herself in between the pair, eyes hard. It didn't matter to her that Three couldn't understand Octarian fully yet, and thus had no idea what Ilkani was saying, but the statement infuriated her nonetheless.

_"You take that back right now."_ Eight demanded, beak pressed tightly together.

Three didn't need to know Octarian to be able to read the tone of her girlfriend's voice. She took a step back.

Ilkani looked confused. _"What? But you agree with me, right? Inkling's have weird ideas of what looks good and she's obviously trying too hard-"_

_"It's a scar."_

The words died on Ilkani's tongue.

Eight continued, glaring. _"She got that because she protected me, and it makes her feel bad when people point it out. So don't point it out."_ She hissed.

Ilkani cleared her throat. Her gaze was fixed on a point in the ground and it was obvious she didn't know how to react to her friend's sudden anger. _"I-it's not like she heard me-"_

_"Well_ I _did."_ Eight snapped back. _"So apologize right now."_

The other Octoling flinched. _"Y-yes ma'am."_ She replied, and turned to Three, who looked downright baffled by the scene unfolding before her. _"I'm sorry for being insensitive."_

Three just blinked. "Uh...Eight, what's going on? Am I supposed to know?"

Eight seemed to snap out of her momentary authoritative state, and she shook herself off. She gave a weak smile. "A-ah, nothing, nothing worth worrying about."

"Was she insulting me or something...? That's kinda what it sounded like."

Eight gave an awkward laugh. "S-something like that. I made her apologize, though."

The Inkling looked surprised. "Oh, uh, thanks."

Eight stared at the ground for a few moments, and then remembered what she'd wanted to say in the first place. She slowly turned back to Ilkani, who still looked like she thought Eight was going to bite her head off.

_"...Ilkani?"_

The tone Eight used was gentle, and it eased Ilkani's expression. _"Yeah?"_

_"I think we should start planning on where to search. Salmonid village or no, the mountain's a big place and-"_ She stopped dead in her tracks when something very obvious occurred to her. Something that she should have realized from the start. She whipped around and grabbed Three by the collar. "Wait a minute, _Three_!"

The Inkling looked startled by being grabbed all of a sudden. "Uh, me? What?"

"You were there! When we fell! Benny must've been there with me right before! Do you remember where we fought?!"

Three blinked, and then her eyes widened in understanding. "O-of course. Cap'n and I went and sealed up the hole after we first got back."

Eight's eyes widened in turn, and then she began beaming. Still holding onto Three, she turned to Ilkani. _"I know where to start!_ She _knows where to start!"_ She squealed.

Ilkani looked between the two. Her expression was one of mild concern. _"Uh, ok. Where?"_

Eight turned back to her girlfriend, parroting Ilkani's question. "Where?"

Three gave a cough. "W-well, I think I know the general area, but I'm not sure I'd be able to get specific enough if I just pointed to it on a map..."

Eight released her and snatched up the tourist map, which was still resting on the ground. "Can you try?" She asked.

Three nodded and took the map from her. She scrutinized it. "Hmm...I'm thinking it was over here, on this side?" She offered, gesturing to the part of the mountain that bordered the water, and by extension, the Salmonid settlement.

Eight hummed in acknowledgement. "That's a good sign. Maybe. Good or bad, I don't know." She turned to Ilkani for a moment, but then turned back to Three with a sigh. "I think you'll have to guide us."

The Inkling's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. "...us?"

Eight sighed and gestured to Ilkani behind her. "Yeah...us."

Three blinked. "...oh."

Ilkani raised an eyebrow. _"What are you guys saying now?"_

Eight, sighing some more, turned back around to Ilkani with a frown. _"I think all three of us are going to have to go. Together."_

There was a moment of silence, and then Ilkani's gaze shifted from her fellow Octoling to Three. Their eyes met and their thoughts were aligned for once. _"Well that's...unfortunate."_ Ilkani murmured.

Eight either didn't hear the comment or chose not to reply. _"But...because that's the case, we're not going to be able to leave as soon as we would otherwise."_ She said in Octarian, and then paraphrased the sentiment in Inkling for Three.

Both looked at her in confusion, so she continued. "In order for all three of us to travel and work together properly...one or both of you needs to learn the other's language." She said it in Inkling first this time, then once again repeated herself for the other.

Three nodded in understanding. "Cuttlefish has been working on helping me with that. I see him more often than I see Marina." She said.

Ilkani looked startled, by comparison. _"Wh-what?! How am I supposed to do that?!"_

Eight thought for a moment, and then an easy answer came to her. She slowly turned...back towards Octavio's snow globe. _"Octavio? You know both, could you teach Ilkani Inkling?"_

The king seemed shocked at being addressed again, but nonetheless he nodded. _"I don't see why not."_ He replied, and there was a brief moment where he and Ilkani shared a glance.

Eight gave a smile. "When you both know enough to get some basic phrases down, we can start making a real plan together. Does that sound good?" She said in Inkling, repeating herself one more time.

Ilkani and Three shared a glance. They'd both be willing to do this for Eight, they knew that. But they could already tell...that whenever they managed to actually start their search...

Eight was going to have to try _really_ hard to keep the peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there everyone this would've been out sooner but I've been having computer troubles. Technically I'm still having computer troubles but like,,, STORY IS IMPORTANT AND I AM SUFFERING THROUGH THE PROXYCHECK FOR Y'ALL
> 
> I can't even draw...I'm lucky I was able to post this at all before my webpage crashed...


	20. Benny's Quest, part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three months after the fall...

Benny liked it when it got foggy. The mood of the village when fog rolled in was the complete opposite of Glowfly time; everyone kinda just...meandered around town, tranquil and quiet. It was surreal. And calm. Unlike Glowflies.

Not that the Octocopter had to worry about Glowflies much anymore. Two months ago he'd inked some sticky paper and hung it above Deco's hut's door, which made the flies flock to _that_ instead of trying to get inside the house. Also ended up being a feast for the other Salmonids, since the flies got stuck. They'd had to buy new paper each time Glowflies were in town, but he and Deco agreed it was worth it.

And, just last month, Deco had finally agreed to letting someone do repairs on his hut! Emm and her Cohock buddies came by once a month to attempt it, and prior to Benny's arrival, they'd apparently been screamed away every time. But Deco agreed to let them fix the holes as long as Benny watched them and made sure they didn't take anything. So now the shack was a proper house, and it was too much effort for the Glowflies to follow the smell of his ink!

Speaking of his ink, that too was starting to change. Most non-Octoling Octarians had a hard time changing their ink color from its natural reddish-pink, and Benny was no exception, but the spots around his eyes were starting to turn green! His mouth too! Soon his ink would be a dead-ringer for the secretions of the Salmonids, and that would make him infinitely safer around them. Not that he was really worried about that any more, but still. The less likely something would happen to him by accident the better.

Where was he again? Oh yeah, fog. Fog was nice. The fish in town all seemed so zen when the fog rolled in. It drew out all sorts from their abodes, folks he never saw otherwise. Just last month during a foggy evening he met an elderly Maws with no teeth. It was incredible.

Everything felt relaxing about fog...except for one thing. Just one thing that was weird about these peaceful times in the village: Deco wanted to part of it.

Each and every time it was about to get foggy, Deco would demand to be alone and shut himself in his room, and Benny wouldn't see him again until it was over. Usually it wasn't much use trying to stay inside the house, because the fog always managed to seep in anyway, so he'd go out by himself and observe the wandering fish. Jule always loved to talk during fog, and even Hiko was surprisingly bold. Everyone seemed to come out of whatever shell they had when it got foggy...everyone but Deco.

And Benny was in no rush to pester him. Deco had been kind to him, it would be rude to question him about _this_ of all things after all this time. So he left him alone.

However...just as the fog rolled in again, and Benny was about to leave to say hi to a new Salmonid friend he'd met last time...he heard a crashing sound come from Deco's room. He took a step in that direction, but then shook his head. It wasn't his place. And if he was mad about something, then it was even less of a good idea to interrupt him.

But then he heard another sound: a single, choked sob.

And all thoughts of his own safety went out the window.

Benny approached the door slowly, step by step, trying to make as little noise as possible. The door was shut...which posed an issue. His comical lack of hands became less comical by the day. He tried to jump up to grab the handle in his mouth, only for the door to be pushed open as he brushed it. It must not have been closed all the way.

He peeked his head inside, but before he could utter his prepared words of apology followed by comfort, he realized what he was looking at.

That wasn't a Snatcher. That was a _Goldie_.

Benny didn't know much about Goldies, admittedly. Literally all he knew from hearing about summits from Garratia was that Goldies were incredibly rare, and that they were usually the ones who were the smartest, best at negotiations. As such, there was always at least one at every summit. He knew nothing aside from those two things.

There weren't any Goldies in the village as far as he knew, so what was one doing in...Deco's room...?

It was then that several things about the Goldie's appearance jumped out at Benny. There was a notch in their tail fin. A feather-like fin hung at the front of their crest. The edges of their crest looked rusted, off color. Pinkish maybe? Most importantly, though, there was a cluster of brown scales under each eye. Seven scales each, to be exact.

When the Goldie whipped their head around, realizing his intrusion, Benny saw their eyes. And he knew immediately who he was looking at.

"...Deco?"

The Goldie, shaking, hissed at him. "What octo doing! Get out!! Out!!!"

And just like that, Benny knew his guess was right. "I'm sorry, I just...you sounded upset and...I just wanted to help."

The Goldie stared at him, unblinking, and then bore his teeth. "Octo make fun! Thought octo better! Make Deco feel worse!!" He shouted, tears starting to gather at the corners of his eyes.

Benny was taken aback. "Wh-what? I'm not making fun of you, I just thought I heard you crying and-"

"BENNY LIE!!!" Deco screamed, tears streaming down his face now. "B-Benny...Benny hate Deco too! Fish all hate Deco when find out! Why octo any different?!"

The Octocopter blinked and stumbled back at the accusation. "Why, why would I hate you?? You've been nice to me and let me stay here and taught me Salmon and...and..." Benny knew not the words, for he knew not what Deco was so upset over.

Deco arose, just a tad, so that he was upright. His gold ball, which had been resting on the floor beneath him, was quickly scooped back up into his arms. He growled again, but through his shaking and crying it was clear to see his desolation. "Octo really not get it..." He whimpered.

Benny took a chance, and stepped closer to him. "Yeah...I don't get it. You're a good fish, and I don't see why you being shiny would change that."

Deco sucked in a breath through his teeth, and sharply turned his head away from Benny. "Octo stupid...Deco _wrong_."

"...about what?"

"No, Deco _wrong_! Deco not right! Deco bad! Deco...Deco _mistake_..." He sobbed, glaring at his wall as tears streamed down his face.

Benny didn't know what to say to that. He was still confused. He still hadn't the context to properly comfort his...friend. Where they friends? They must've been at this point, right? "Deco...I don't know what's going on, but... _I_ don't think there's anything wrong with you..."

Deco sniffled, still looking anywhere but Benny's direction. "What octo not see? Deco...Deco _Goldie_." He hissed out, the word vile on his tongue.

Benny tilted his head a little. "I...don't think I get it, Deco...aren't Goldies important and stuff? What's to be upset about?"

"That problem!" The Goldie snapped back, bearing his teeth but still not looking at Benny. "Deco hatch wrong, not pure egg. Not s'posed be Goldie, take space for rare. Not good..." He paused, leering as his tears continued to fall. "...not enough."

"...what?" Benny replied dumbly. At this point he wasn't sure if Deco wasn't explaining well...or if he just wasn't getting it.

Deco whipped his head back, glaring at the Octarian. "Benny stupid?! Deco half-gold! Look like both! More like Mum in fog, Pap in clear. Mum teach Deco Octo, want make Deco dip-lo-mat, like Mum, but Deco...Deco bad learn! Deco bad learn not good!" He shouted, growing increasingly more distressed. "Disappoint Mum! Disappoint every fish when learn Deco half-gold! Try learn be like others, save egg from egg takers, but Deco find egg..." He clutched it close to his chest. "Mum say Deco egg look like...Deco know if eg hatch they take...make sad. Say Deco not good for keep egg safe. Not allowed anywhere."

Benny was silent. He still felt like he was missing something.

"Deco not good. Not s'posed be stupid fish bad-talk, s'posed be important Goldie, like Mum. Fish find out Deco Goldie, disappoint in Deco. 'Waste resource', say. Could be good. _Not_ good." Tears pooled anew, and he started shaking again. "Deco tell octo; octo know now why Deco bad! Leave be! Don't want look anymore!"

The Octarian was quiet for a moment. Then he took another step towards the Salmonid. "You're not bad."

His jaw trembled. "What?! Why Octo say lie?! N-not make Deco feel better!" He sobbed, holding his egg tighter.

Benny gave a tiny smile, hoping the other found it reassuring. "I'm not lying. I don't think you're bad, Deco."

Deco's breathing became shaky. "B-Benny lie!" He cried, disbelieving. "Why care 'bout?! Deco not good enough!! Pure say so!!"

Benny took one more step. "I think...you don't owe anyone anything, Deco."

Deco looked confused, but no less upset. "Wh-what...what octo mean..."

Benny continued to smile softly. "I may not get what you're saying completely, but I do know...that you're worth more than what others think of you. You don't need to...to prove yourself to anyone. You're allowed to just be you."

Deco stared at him, dumbfounded. Then he shut his eyes and trembled.

"Wh-why Benny not get it...Deco not good..." He whimpered. "Deco...disappoint...why Benny nice...to Deco...when Deco bad?" The distress in his voice was genuine, and it was heart-wrenching.

Benny wanted to fix it. He wanted to make Deco feel better, and he knew only one way how.

So he rushed forward and pressed his face into the Salmonid's side. Without arms, it was the closest thing to a hug he could manage.

"Because you're my _friend_ , Deco." He replied simply. "And that's what friends _do_."

Deco shook, and Benny could feel him shift to glance down at him. He heard a tear drop onto his pan.

"Fr...friend...?" Deco murmured, sounding as if he'd never heard the word before. "Benny is...friend?"

Benny smushed his face closer. "Of course I am, Deco. I...you've been nice to me. You could've kicked me out ages ago, but you didn't."

Deco scoffed, and then sniffled. "Benny can leave if want. Not need kick out."

"I didn't want to leave. I was nervous in the beginning, but I realized that...you just weren't used to _needing_ to be kind. And that's not your fault."

"...No one call Deco kind before." He whispered.

Benny looked up at him. "Then they must not know you very well." He replied with a smile.

The Goldie gave a dry laugh. "Others not _want_ get know Deco. Never, after find out Deco half-gold."

"Well, that's their loss then. Because _I_ think you're pretty cool."

Deco hiccuped, the tears in his eyes rolling fatly down the side of his face. His shaky fins _dropped_ his ball then, making a heavy sound against the floor, and then the fins wrapped around Benny. The hug was returned as the shaky Goldie sobbed into the top of the metal pan.

Benny stayed where he was, closing his eyes and smiling as he was embraced. And they stayed there until the fog receded.

* * *

By the time the fog was gone, it was the dead of night. Deco's appearance has changed back to how it normally was; with his purple crest and brown scales. While it appeared that he'd shed some of the gold scales onto the floor, most of them seemed to have simply changed hue over the course of the past hour. He hadn't let Benny go in that time.

Benny let out a sigh, and turned to look out a window. He could see the moonlight filtering through the blinds...

"Do you feel better, Deco?" He asked, voice gentle.

Deco didn't respond.

He shifted a little, craning his head to try and look at the fish that still had a tight hold on him.

The expression he saw on his friend's face was a confusing one. He looked...contemplative, conflicted, and probably another c word that Benny couldn't quite place at that moment. But his eyes were open, and he wasn't looking at Benny.

"...Deco? Are you alright?"

The Salmonid looked down slightly, glancing at him sideways. "Benny here...cuz wait, yes? Wait other friend?" He asked, voice quieter than the Octarian had ever heard it.

Benny nodded.

"What do when friend come? Leave village? Go with friend...?" He continued, quiet, unsure. The look on his face was a sad one.

Benny blinked. "...I...I don't know. That was the plan before, but..."

He looked into Deco's eyes, and he noticed that they were glistening in the low light. Was he going to cry again?

...he really didn't have any other friends, did he?

"...I think plans might've changed." Benny conceded. Right now, at the very least, _Deco_ needed him. And he wouldn't leave him alone.

Deco's lip quivered. "Deco...D-Deco glad...Benny friend..." He said, and his mouth twitched into something like a smile.

Benny closed his eyes. "I'm glad you're my friend too, Deco."

The night drifted on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I'm sure Eight will absolutely LOVE that news, eh? 
> 
> Anyway I hope I've sold you all on why Eight wants to find this Octocopter so badly. He's just a sunshine boy too good for this world.
> 
> Also as of posting this, this Ao3 copy of the story is officially caught up to the original Wattpad version! So if anyone was checking over there to read stuff early...you don't need to I guess. They'll both update around the same time (though technically I do all the writing on my phone through the wattpad app so TECHNICALLY the wattpad version will still update first...but I'll try my best to port it over on the same day when it does)
> 
> Comments!!! I love comments!!! And I love you all for loving this story so much aaaa


	21. Familial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight eavesdrops.

Eight heard them speaking softly to one another from around the corner. She really shouldn't pry, but...it didn't sound like they were saying anything too secretive, honestly, so it was probably fine.

Anything to distract herself from her own bout of worrying.

"She said she'll probably have time again next week. So I'll have to double check my schedule just in case." Marina said to Pearl, as they rested together on the couch in the living room.

Pearl gave a soft laugh. "Man, lucky Four. You never clear your schedule for _me_." She snarked, snuggling up closer to her.

The Octoling raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "I don't need to! We sort out our schedules together ahead of time!"

"Still!" Pearl smirked right back at her, laying her chin on the other's chest. "I get the feeling she must like you more than she likes me. I could've taught her Octarian too."

"Yeah, maybe, but it's not _your_ native language, Pearlie. I don't think it's a matter of favoritism."

Eight, from her corner, turned into an Octopus and squirmed a little bit closer.

The pair didn't notice. "That doesn't mean she _doesn't_ like you more, though. Cuz like, I wouldn't be surprised. You _more_ than deserve it." The Inkling sighed.

Marina rested a hand against Pearl's back. "You deserve it just as much as I do, Pearlie. You know that."

Pearl shrugged. "Eh, yeah, I do. But that doesn't change the fact that you're more popular than me. No bitterness there. Just the facts."

Marina frowned for a moment, then smirked down at her. "What, do you spend all your free time scrolling message boards about me or something?"

Pearl's cheeks went pink. "Uh."

Marina poked the tip of Pearl's nose with her free hand. "You know our manager handles PR, right? Pearlie?" She quipped in amusement.

Pearl half-looked up at her. "I...I know that. I just...it's nice to see peeps saying nice things about you, y'know?"

Marina's look softened just a tad. "Do you look up _yourself_ much lately?"

The Inkling looked away, puffing out her cheeks but smiling faintly. "Eh, on and off. Get more good comments nowadays than I used to, which is always a confidence boost."

"Ah, yes, just what you needed. A _bigger_ ego."

Pearl's head snapped up, a challenging glint in her eyes. "Shell yeah!! Did you know I have a fan club website?! My fans are cooler than your fans!!"

Marina snickered, an evil glint in her eye. "I'm very aware; I _made_ that website."

Her smirk faded, startled."....wait." She began, eyes narrowing before widening dramatically. "... _you're_ FreshOctagon!!"

The Octoling put a hand to her chest, feigning surprise. "What? _How_ in the _world_ did you know?"

"I knew that mod knew too much!! How dare you!! I've never been so thoroughly played!!" She poked a finger into Marina's cheek, laughing and glaring simultaneously. "Curse you, Rina!!"

Marina snickered. "What, am I not _allowed_ to be the leader of your fan club? Because you're not going to make me stop with a reaction like _that_."

Fire in her eyes, Pearl leaned up to press her forehead against Marina's. "Oh yeah?" She replied. "Lookin' for a reaction, are ya?" She challenged.

Marina's smirk only grew. "Perhaps~" She cooed.

Pearl swiftly closed the small distance between them to press a kiss to Marina's lips, and then pulled back with a devilish grin. "How's _that_ for a reaction, babe?"

Marina blushed a tad and her face contorted in surprise, before her smirk returned in full force. "Oh, I don't know if I'm _convinced_ yet, Pearlie."

The Inkling's eyes once again burned with mischief. "Guess I have to work harder then~" She chirped, and began to plant kisses all over Marina's face.

It was interesting for Eight to watch, to say the least. The pair had known each other for so long...much longer than she and Three had. They were at a different level of intimacy and comfort than they were. Not that Eight minded. She liked the way she and Three were. It was soft, calm.

Not that Pearl and Marina didn't have their soft moments; this seemed to be one of them, really. When they got like this, the rest of the world might as well not exist anymore.

Which is how, at that moment, Eight was able to observe their moment from her place on the floor. She may have been in Octopus form, but one would have to be as distracted as her guardians were to not notice her bright magenta form contrasting against the floor.

"..." She honestly didn't want to interrupt, she really didn't...but this had also very much turned into something she _really_ shouldn't be spying on. _"...bweh...?"_

Pearl flew backwards off of Marina with a yelp. She landed on the other end of the couch on her back, then aggressively sat up and fixed Eight with a wide-eyed stare. "E-Eight!!! How long have you been there?!?!"

Eight shifted back and sat there cross-legged, guilty. "A...a bit. I didn't want to interrupt..."

Marina cleared her throat, face flushing. "D-did you need something?"

Eight looked down. "Not especially, but I am a bit curious...you were talking about Four earlier?"

"Ah, right, her..." Marina murmured before clearing her throat again. "Yes, she's been coming over every so often for lessons in Octarian. Have you not noticed?"

"No, I have, I was just curious about how that was going..." Eight trailed off with a slight frown.

Pearl fixed her with a concerned stare. "...are you sure?"

The younger Octoling looked up, confused. "Huh?"

"I get the feeling something's bothering you, Eight." Pearl replied. "You seem nervous."

Eight laughed awkwardly. "A-aren't I _always_ nervous though?"

Marina frowned as well. "Not around us, usually. Are you ok?"

The Octoling on the floor made one last attempt at a reassuring smile, but gave up on it quickly with a sad sigh. "...no."

Pearl scooted a little closer to Marina, leaving a bit of space between them, then patted the space with her hand.

Eight took the cue and sat between them. She was frowning now.

The Inkling laid a hand on her shoulder. "Talk to us, kid. What's wrong?"

"..." Eight looked between the two of them, then down at her hands. "...what if I'm too late?"

Marina, who had also laid a hand on Eight's shoulder, blinked. "Too late for what?"

"Benny." The other Octoling replied quietly. "What if something already happened to him? What if we're all wrong, and he didn't even go to this village place? What if the Salmonids there actually _are_ hostile?" A hiccup interrupts her speech, and she wipes her eyes before continuing. "Wh-what if...what if he died out there, _alone_? What if I go there a-and he's not even there, and I never find out, a-and I just keep looking, and-"

Pearl jumps a bit as Eight starts to cry. "W-woah, easy Eight, easy..." The hand on the younger one's shoulder tightens.

Marina slowly pulls her into a hug. "Shhh...breath, Eight..."

Pearl kept her hand where it was as the pair let Eight cry for a bit. She seemed hesitant to speak, but she eventually did anyway. "Y'know...you're right about one thing. There's no guarantee everything's gonna go the way you think it will. That's just how life is. But, y'know what else? You're smart, Eight. You figure things out. And you've come to a pretty sound conclusion about what you think happened to him. So odds are, you're probably right. But either way...we'll be here for you, no matter what happens. You know that, right?"

Eight sniffled in Marina's arms. "Y-yeah, I know, it's just...I feel like he's so _important_...like...Ilkani knew me, but...Benny _knew_ me, you know?"

Marina stroked her head.

Eight clung to her tightly. "If...if we _do_ find him down there...and I brought him back...c-could he...could he stay here?" She whispered.

The older Octoling's eyes widened a little, not that Eight could see it. She glanced over to Pearl, who smiled softly.

"Eh, I don't see why not. The more the merrier!" She replied.

The little Octoling sniffled again. "...I love you guys...you know that?"

Marina planted a maternal kiss to Eight's mantle, smiling. "We know, Eight."

"Aight, move it you saps, lemme in on this!" Pearl interjected with a laugh before adding herself to the group hug.

Eight just kept sniffling. She was still so, so scared. But...they were right.

No matter what happened...she had a support system here. She had a family. They would comfort her, just as they always had. They had her back, just as much as they had each other's.

She'd be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Finally having Pearlina as a focus in some form? It's more likely than you think
> 
> Also tho writing this was so hard?? How do y'all write Pearlina this was next to impossible for me for some reason-
> 
> People who write Pearlina PRIMARILY are too powerful CONFIRMED ((not that I didn't think that already kasdjfskdjf))


	22. Unlucky surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavio has a difficult conversation

_"That's enough for today's lesson."_ Octavio remarked with a curt nod.

Ilkani stretched where she sat before giving a nod as well. _"Thank you again, your majesty. Your kindness knows no bounds."_ She stood up, brushed herself off, and bowed to him.

Octavio looked away. _"There's no need for all that. I'm still the king of absolutely nothing from in here."_

Ilkani crossed her arms and frowned. _"...my offer still stands, you know. I could-"_

_"No, if you let me out_ now _it would cause a fuss. Might as well serve my time so everyone forgets about me again. It'd be safer then."_

_"As you wish, your majesty..."_ Ilkani trails off. She clears her throat. _"In any case...how well am I doing so far, would you say?"_

Octavio hummed. _"You're learning rather fast, I will admit. But you won't be fluent anytime soon."_

_"I don't need to be fluent...I just need to know enough to get by on a surface level."_ She replied.

The king rolled his eyes. _"Right. Well it shouldn't be long then in that case. You know your greetings, and danger words."_

_"I've memorized their weird little warbles, too."_

_"You know how to say_ 'booyah'. _I think you'll get by on most of that. There's just a few more nuances that I'll need to teach ya, but that'll be for next time."_ He nods again. _"Be on your way, Ilkani."_

Ilkani bowed again, and turned to head back to her dome.

_"...remember what I told you, Ilkani."_ He called back to her before she got too far away.

The Octoling stopped dead. She sighed. _"Yeah, I remember. Don't breath a word. I wasn't planning on it."_

_"Good."_

_"...why do you think I'd disobey you? You're still my king. Everyone else may have lost their senses, but I haven't."_

Octavio's eyes widened, though Ilkani's back was still turned to him so she didn't see. _"...you...you haven't heard the song."_ He murmured in realization.

Ilkani half-turned. _"Pardon?"_

_"...nothing to concern yourself with. Just talking to myself. Be on your way."_

The Octoling nodded and departed, leaving Octavio alone.

...except...

The king sighed in exasperation, eyes drifting over to the cabin. "...I know you're there, _Craig_. You aren't sneaky in the slightest."

There was a tense moment of silence, and then the elder Inkling in question stepped out from behind the cabin. "Wasn't tryin to be. Just didn't want to interrupt you doing something _good_ for once."

Another long, drawn out sigh escaped him. "What, is it so hard to believe that I have a single heart?"

Cuttlefish gave him a pointed stare.

Octavio closed his eyes. "Whatever. Did you _want_ something, or are you just here to _glower_ at me?"

"You're withholding information from her, Octavio."

The king flinched.

Cuttlefish's eyes narrowed as he continued. "I know for a _fact_ that you know her birthday by heart. Why are you doing this, Octavio? Have you not hurt enough people yet?"

Octavio averted his gaze, sweat dripping down his brow. "Why do you _think_ I'm keeping it from her? She doesn't know who she is, and she seems fine with that. She'd only hurt if she knew."

"Really now? Is that what you're telling yourself?" The elder squid laughed dryly. "She'll figure out on her own eventually, you know. Eight is clever. If you want to have any chance of keeping yourself in some semblance of good graces with her-"

"Did you just come here to lecture me, old man?!" Octavio cut him off with a snap. "It's the 17th of February! Take your information and leave me be!"

"Ohoho, don't act like you aren't just as old as I am! We're _both_ at that point where we can't shift any more; you're just stuck in a different form than I am." Cuttlefish pointed out, his wobbly hand grasped firmly on his cane. "Lucky you, Octopi don't get wrinkles."

"The first time you're talking to me in months and you're just here to belittle me." He groaned. "I told you want you want to know, so _leave_."

The Inkling raised an eyebrow. "Really? You want me gone so soon? You used to be so eager to talk to me the first time you got stuck in there."

Octavio reddened. "What, are you implying you want to be here? That you _want_ to talk to me?"

Cuttlefish laughed. "Oho, most definitely not. I _hate_ you."

The words drove a stake through his hearts, but the king kept his face surprisingly level. "...then why are you still here?" He replied lowly.

Cuttlefish took a few paces toward him. "Because this isn't about me, this is about Eight. And I intend to learn a bit more than just her birthday." He said in response. "You spoke so much about her before all this, I'm sure you have _plenty_ to say _now_."

Octavio took a moment to stare at the other incredulously, then drug his tentacles down his face. " _Uuuuugggggggghhhhh_ , you know what, _fine_. What the shell do you want to know?"

Cuttlefish made an expression that was almost a smile. "Glad to know you're cooperative. Tell me...actually, better idea, tell me first what _you_ think she'd want to know about herself."

"Must you make this so difficult for me?! It's already painful enough!" He shouted in response.

" _Painful?_ Really? You think _that's_ painful?" The other snapped back, looking somewhat offended.

Octavio wanted to scream. "I'll tell you whatever you want, but if you breath a _word_ to Garratia about who I am _so help me-"_

"So help you what? What are you going to do to me from in there?" The Inkling inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Octavio slammed his tentacles against the glass, eyes aflame with rage. _"Don't test me, Craig."_ He hissed, voice dripping with as much malice as he could force into it.

Cuttlefish was unfazed. "I wasn't planning to tell her anything. I still think you owe it to her to tell her yourself. It's the _least_ you could do. The _very_ least."

"You can't tell me what to do, _Craig_." He growled.

"Fine then. Continue to be an old fool for all I care. I couldn't care less what you do."

"Good! The feeling's mutual!" Octavio shouted, a straight-faced lie.

Cuttlefish cleared his throat. "...where were we again...?"

Octavio blinked. "Uh...you were trying to coerce me, I believe."

The Inkling scoffed. "I did nothing of the sort! What was I...ah, I remember now. I wanted you to tell me what _you_ think she'd like to hear. It'd be a nice present for her, I think."

The Octarian considered it from that angle, sighed, and then fell into deep concentration. What Eight would like to hear...what would she like to hear...?

"...Benny was a Clip from my, at the time, second in command." He eventually settled on. "As such, they grew up together. When they began their education, it was together as well. When he didn't get high marks like she did, or their peers, he was initially the subject of ridicule and mockery from others in the ranks, considering who his parent was. But Garratia was quick to jump to his defense. She was always quick with threats of fury from _me_ should the teasing continue. It worked for the most part, as he had her favor, and by proxy mine. They've known each other for practically their entire lives. They're practically family."

Cuttlefish nodded in approval. "See, where's the pain in that? I'm sure she'll be happy to know all that."

Octavio was silent. His chest hurt. It _ached_.

It wasn't because of Eight, though. The weight of _finally_ seeing Cuttlefish again had _finally_ come crashing down on him. And the other had absolutely no interest in him now. He'd surely ruined every chance he had at forgiveness, he knew it to be true...and that, ironically, is what hurt the most in that moment.

Cuttlefish looked at him. "Is there anything else, or should I leave you be?"

The king didn't reply. He wanted to say it, he really did, but was the risk too great...? What if he made things worse?

He just continued to stare. "Octav-"

"I'm sorry, ok?!" Octavio said loudly. "You're allowed to hate me, I understand that I've wronged you, but you can't ignore me forever! How am I to make this right if you never speak to me again?!" He shouted in exasperation.

Cuttlefish's eyes widened, but then they narrowed in suspicion. "...why are you telling me this, Octavio? Why do you think you _get_ to try and fix this?"

"Because this is my mess! I've done wrong! I admit that fully! I want to try and right it! If not for you, for myself! I do have a _conscious_ , you know!"

The elder Inkling crossed his arms, leaning forward to brace himself against his bamboozler. "After what you've done to my granddaughter, I find that hard to believe." He replied coldly.

Octavio looked away. "....would you believe me if I said that I only took her as a precautionary measure? I figured if I had one of them I wouldn't need to fear that song being used against me again. That's really all it was." He muttered.

"Ah, yes, I understand. And I'm sure the _brand on her side_ was just as much a precaution as the rest, wasn't it?" He quipped bitterly.

The Octarian flinched back. He didn't have anything to say to that.

Cuttlefish scoffed. "Didn't think so. You're a _coward_ , Octavio. You've always been a coward. You only take responsibility for the things you think you can do something about, and hope everyone will _ignore_ the rest for _your_ sake. You wait around for people to empathize with you, and then you take advantage of the kindness _offered_ to you in _good faith_. We know your tricks by now. You won't trick us again."

Octavio squinted at the bottom of his container, not willing to look up at the other.

"My only hope is that you eventually learn something from all this, Octavio. But you won't get my pity. Never again. And I'm sure my granddaughters are just as sick of you as I am." Cuttlefish glared at the snow globe for another moment or two, then turned to leave.

Octavio didn't bother saying anything.

Cuttlefish, back towards him, paused his step and sighed. "Eight doesn't hate you, at least; you should consider yourself lucky for that. You _need_ to tell her who you are, sooner rather than later. I know you love her, Octavio. If you want any chance of getting back that relationship, you'll tell her."

Octavio's eyes watered. "She wanted me to ignore it back then. She wanted to earn her place in the ranks through her own merits, not by our relation. There'd be no point in going back on that now. I'm respecting _her_ wishes, not my own." He replied quietly.

Cuttlefish gave another sigh. "You can make as many excuses as you wish, but nothing will change the truth, Octavio: sooner or later, she'll find out on her own, and she'll feel nothing but betrayal."

He continued to walk away, and just before he vanished from sight, he made one last statement. "Sooner or later, she'll figure out she's your daughter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet most of you figured it out by this point, but yeah! Dadtavio! Ain't that a twist!
> 
> Also so many people seemed to empathize with Octavio in previous chapters, which I thought was funny. He's a lot more complicated than just 'dude who did bad things for understandable reasons' in my opinion. He's done some morally questionable stuff regardless of whatever motivations he's claimed to have. Y'all can form your own opinions lol 
> 
> Leave comments! I worked hard on this chapter and I had a lot of fun writing it!!


	23. Benny's Quest, part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five months after the fall...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for bullying and implications of violence...stay safe y'all. ((also child murder?? Implications of child murder too...fish children...))

"I'm sorry, I think I might've heard you wrong, could you _run that by me again_?" Benny questioned incredulously.

Jule rolled her eyes, as if his reaction was an over-dramatic one. "I said that a couple times a year, they send reps from the Swarm down to here and other exile towns and smash any fertilized eggs they find. What didn't you hear the first time?"

The Octarian swallowed thickly. "Ah, ok, no I heard you _right_ the first time. And that _still_ sounds absolutely _horrifying_. _Why_?" He demanded, an green-tinted bead of sweat rolling down his brow.

The Smallfry's mouth was a thin line. "In exchange for being allowed to live while being useless to the Swarm, we are forbidden from having children out here. We are disallowed from making these kinds of places new spawning grounds. All our eggs must be unfertilized if we are to keep them." She explained carefully. "Though...for some of us that's _torture_ , so it makes sense they have to check up on us every now and again. Some fish here have no self control."

Benny turned a little green. "O-okay, I didn't need to know that. Why are you telling me this again?"

She let out a sigh. "Because Deco always puts up a big fight every time they search his hut; you can hear him screaming from across town. Which probably isn't a surprise to you since you've been living with him for so long, but he gets very defensive over that 'egg' of his. I'd probably hide if I were you."

Benny cringed. Everyone _still_ didn't get what Deco was like. "I...I think I'll be fine. When are they coming, do you think?"

Jule shrugged. "Probably soon. They don't ever give us warning, but it's easy to tell. They space the visits out semi-rigidly, so it should be any day now. Keep your guard up. Deco's not safe to be around when he's certain his stuff's gonna get stolen."

The Octocopter's eyes hardened. "He's not as bad as you all think, but I'll be careful. Now...uh, what was I here for again..."

* * *

"...Other Goldies come soon? Never good when happen..." Deco murmured, his body curled around Benny's from behind as they sat on the floor.

"Wait, it's _Goldies_ they send down here? I would've thought it'd be something less rare..." Benny replied.

"Few Goldies, Steelhead for intimidate. Cohock too, sometimes. Always Goldie tho. In charge of search." Deco explained quietly. "Always here for Deco egg."

Benny paused, considering his words carefully. "...you've never, ah...um, f-fertilized an egg though, right?" He inquired, embarrassed to even have to say that aloud.

Deco scoffed. "Small egg that hatch not useful for spend. Never do. No point."

The Octarian let out a sigh of relief. "Well that's good to know. But...since that's the case, what do you have to worry about? Jule said they only take _fertilized_ eggs."

The Snatcher let out a quiet growl, though Benny could tell it wasn't directed at him. "Other Goldies hear 'bout Deco. Think Deco funny for keep egg safe. Always make fun when here. Try take Deco egg to upset Deco. Happen every time."

A pang struck Benny's hearts at that. "Deco..."

Deco bore his teeth. "Others think Deco crazy. Think Deco un-reason-ble. Think Deco not know what other Goldies here for." He rested his chin on the floor. "Deco _not_ _stupid_. Deco know...Deco know lots. Trained for Goldie role before. Know lots."

Benny leaned his body back a bit into the other, both to remind him he was there and attempt to provide some kind of reassurance. "Is...is there anything I can do? Do you think they'd listen to me?"

The Salmonid's head shot up in alarm at the statement. "No!! Friend Benny need _hide_ when Goldie here!!" He yelped.

Benny winced at the sudden volume, but then turned his head to look more closely at Deco's face. "Huh? Why?"

Deco looked panicked. "Deco remember pro-to-col. Octos not s'posed be in village. Very bad! Cuz that mean Octo King care 'bout bad fish! Swarm not like bad fish, so Octo not s'posed like bad fish either!"

The Octocopter was quiet as he deciphered the statement. "So...they'll get _offended_ if I'm here? Is that what you mean?"

Deco nodded. "Swarm not want Octo care 'bout bad fish."

"What...what would happen if they _did_ find me, then...?"

"...kill on sight."

Benny shuddered. "O-oh. That...that would be bad."

Deco curled himself tighter around him. His eyes burned protectively. "Deco not let them. Deco _protect_ friend no matter what." He growled. "Go _through_ Deco if want Benny."

Benny smiled at that. "Thanks, Deco. That makes me feel safer."

Deco gave a determined nod. "Good. That Deco job. That what...that what friend do." He said, the end of the sentence murmured quietly as the edges of his lips twitched. He still wasn't quite used to smiling.

* * *

Honestly, up until the Swarm representatives actually arrived, Benny had a lingering doubt or two that they actually did what the other Salmonids said they did. It just seemed so...outlandishly cruel to him. Smashing eggs just because they had the potential to hatch. It just sounded so gruesome.

But then they actually got there. And Benny had the privilege to witness the act firsthand.

Well, it was through the window, and the blinds were mostly shut. But he saw it. He saw the Goldie, with the Steelhead behind them, go through a Cohock's eggs. He saw three get thrown onto the ground. He saw other Cohocks that the Goldie had brought with them hold the resident back as the Goldie brought their pan down onto the eggs like a sledgehammer. There was barely a smear left behind.

And he saw the _devastated_ look in the Cohock's eyes. And he remembered. He remembered how _badly_ he'd wanted to leave when he'd first arrived. Perhaps...it wasn't too late to consider now, was it? If that's what they did to their own species...Benny shuddered to imagine what would be done to _him_.

"Hide!! Hide _now_!!" Deco hissed all of a sudden, pulling Benny away from the kitchen window and shoving him towards a cupboard. "Goldie coming!!!"

"Ah! Ok, ok, I'm going!!" Benny squeaked, tumbling inside the cupboard and landing on his back with an oof. Deco swiped the pan off his head.

Before the door was shut, though, Deco paused. He fixed Benny with a contemplative stare, appearing to go through some kind of internal crisis, and then carefully set his golden ball beside him. His eyes narrowed...but he didn't look mad, just _scared_. "P...protect Deco egg...please?"

The Octocopter was too stunned by the display of trust to say anything, so he just nodded dumbly.

Deco gave him a rare smile, and then closed the door, leaving him in the dark.

It was only moments later that he heard the front door open loudly.

"Heh, look who it is. The mighty mongrel himself. Where's the ball, freak?" Benny heard an unfamiliar voice taunt. Well, he _assumed_ the tone was meant to be taunting; the accent was a bit thick so it was hard to tell for sure.

Deco growled. "None of Goldie business!! Out Deco house!!"

A different voice from the first one laughed. "You can't think we'd let you off that easy, can you? We can't leave so soon! Folks'll get suspicious!"

There was a shuffling noise, sounding like it was getting closer to him, and then the sound of a pan swiping empty air. "Not get closer!" Deco hissed. "Others have no place!! Not get make fun no more!!"

There was a moment of silence, and then the pair of new voices chortled. "Hear that? He thinks he has a say!"

"Thinks anyone _cares_ what he has to say!"

Benny heard Deco growl again.

"Tell us Deco, tell us! Tell why a waste of space like you gets to tell _us_ what to do!" Laughed one of them.

There was silence.

Another laugh. "Ha! Stupid thing can't even talk! Can't even come up with a good comeback! You're not even good for that, are you?!"

There was another moment of silence. Then the sound of something hitting the ground. "...take eggs and leave." Deco said, his voice strangely quiet.

More shuffling sounds, and then a dark chuckle. "You _still_ think you're getting out of this without entertaining us for a bit. That's funny, Deco. Real funny. Tell us where your ball's at. Maybe we'll leave _you_ alone this time."

A sudden loud, metallic _clang_ filled the space. Then, another growl from Deco, feral and furious. "Leave. _Now_."

"Or what? What could you do to _us_?" Questioned one of them, followed by a quiet laugh from the other.

"Knock scales off. Add to egg nest. Deco not have any more patience for _stupid_ fish don't listen." He replied. And Benny had known him long enough by now to identify the tone he was using, even through his weird accented squeakiness: it was _mocking_. He was _taunting_ them.

There was another moment of silence, and then all amusement was _gone_ from the Goldies' tones. "You're picking a fight you can't win, freak."

"Cowards! Other Goldies _cowards_!!" Deco screeched. "Think can't beat Deco!! Pan not polished!! Dirty pan, dirty pan!!"

A guttural sound followed. "I think you need to shut your trap. We aren't against maiming you for the greater good. No one would question us."

Deco made a weird sound in response. Some kind of warbling chirp of a thing. And then Benny heard him slap the floor with his tail.

"...ha. I think that's sounds like an invite." One Goldie responded, voice level but clearly enraged.

A laugh from the other followed. "I think he has a death wish. Let's oblige him. Hope you like the taste of your own blood, _bahatchat_." The last word was garbled and hard to decipher; it wasn't a word Benny was familiar with...which was odd, considering how well he felt he knew Salmonid by now. What...what did they just call him?

All thoughts of linguistics were soon gone from his mind, however, as a torrent of cacophonous sound suddenly came pouring at him through the wood of the door.

The Goldies spat out more words he didn't understand, and Deco sounded downright _feral_. All of it was loud, and all of it was interspersed with the clanging of their pans.

The sound of a blow, and a hurt noise that sounded like it came from Deco. The Snatcher let out another snarl. It was the most...for lack of a better word, _animalistic_ that Benny had ever heard him sound; those genuinely sounded like the cries of a cornered animal, pinned against a wall by predators and about to be mauled.

...they were _actually_ trying to kill him, weren't they?

Benny shuddered, but bit his tongue to keep his own fearful whimper from escaping him. He could _not_ afford to let the Goldies know he was there. It didn't matter how much he wanted to help, he couldn't do anything. He hadn't even seen them yet, but he knew just from the sounds he was hearing that they would gut him in _seconds_.

There was nothing he could do to save Deco now. He was weak in the face of this adversary. Powerless, weak, and useless.

The end of his body curled in on itself as he continued to shake. He heard another angry sound from Deco, and then a pained yelp from one of the Goldies. It was just sound after sound, and Benny soon tuned it out as fear overtook him. He curled up into a ball, feeling the sting of tears in the corners of his eyes. He could do nothing to stop them, not in his state, so he just silently cried as the battle raged.

* * *

Benny didn't know how long everything lasted. It could've been a short minute, it could've been an hour. Time had stopped having meaning after a long enough time, crying in the cupboard.

He didn't even notice when the fighting stopped. He only snapped back into awareness when the cupboard doors were opened.

He was too scared to look up at first. But when he did, he was met with a relieving sight: Deco. _He was alive!_ Benny let out a sigh.

What was less relieving, though, was the state Deco was in: bruises covered his body, patches of scales were missing in places, he seemed to be missing a tooth(there was blood dripping from his mouth where it used to be), and he had a bad black eye. But he was smiling.

And _that_ was the scariest thing of all.

"D-Deco..." Benny murmured at the sight of him.

Deco didn't make any move to take his egg back. Instead he gave a nod. "Other Goldies underestimate Deco. Think Deco wimp fish for be half-gold. Send running. Benny safe. Egg safe." He replied quietly.

Benny's wet eyes dripped some more. "You're h- _hurt_..."

The Salmonid looked himself over, then gave a weak shrug. "Bit worse than normal visit, but Deco fine. Deco get better. Not...not matter, Benny and egg safe. D-Deco do...Deco do good job?" He asked faintly, as if the answer determined his value.

Benny gave a sniffle, and leaped forth from the cupboard to tackle Deco in an armless embrace. "Of course it matters!! You...you're my friend!! I hate seeing you hurt!! I'm...I'm sorry!! If I was stronger, stronger I could've helped you, and, and you wouldn't of gotten hurt this bad!!" He sobbed.

Deco stumbled back with a wince. Benny must've hit a scaleless patch. Deco ignored the pain he was in, though, as he wrapped his fins around the other and rested his chin atop his head. "...needed get hurt. Had distract Goldies or look for egg. Find egg, find friend Benny...Deco not let them kill friend...had get hurt to protect. Not Benny fault."

The Octarian hiccuped as more tears rolled down his face. "N-no, you don't get it! Oc-Octarians like me are _made_ to fight! We're made to fight and do _nothing_ else!! I don't have arms, I don't even have a head tentacle like most of the others!! I was, I was made to fly and shoot ink and that's it, and, and, and I can't even do _that_ right! I'm useless, I should've been...I should've been able to help you!!"

"Shh, shh, not Benny fault...Deco understand how feel...Deco happy...! Deco did a good! Deco protect friend...Deco get better...scales grow back...eye be fine again, no be sad for Deco hurt...Deco _glad_ protect friend Benny."

Benny continued to shake. "They hurt you, they hurt you...they called you names, and...and they made you upset...and I _hate it_ because that used to, used to happen to me, and, and Garratia was the one to protect me when that happened...but they called _you_ names and _you_ still had to protect _me_ anyway..." He mumbled with a sniffle. "That's not, that's not _fair_...it's not fair at all...you didn't do anything wrong..."

Deco gripped him tighter. "Deco half-gold...wrong because _be_ , not because _do_."

Benny pulled away from the embrace, just enough to stare Deco in the face. The Salmonid's expression was surprisingly soft, considering how ruffed up he was. "No. There's _nothing_ wrong with you. _They're_ the ones who're wrong for hurting you."

The Snatcher looked startled. "B-Benny say-"

"You're perfect just the way you are."

Deco's own eyes began to water. His breath hitched, and his mouth shook. He let out a sniffle. "B-Benny...Benny say...nice things? Benny..." A gross-sounding sob escaped him, and he returned to embracing Benny as tightly as he could. "Benny too good for Deco!!" He cried.

Benny wheezed at being squeezed so tightly; Deco heard the sound and loosened his hold a bit. "I...I'm not. I just don't want to see you get hurt. I don't like seeing anyone getting hurt..........will they come back?"

"...sometime." Deco replied quietly. "Always do."

Benny shook. "We....we can't stay here, Deco. Not if this will keep happening. I can't bear to let this happen again."

Deco jumped a little. "...what? Where go?"

Benny frowned. "I don't...I don't know, up the mountain or something. I'm sure there's a way back up there, I don't know, I just...I don't want you getting hurt for my sake again. Or getting hurt at all! It isn't right! You don't deserve this kind of treatment!"

The Snatcher's grip loosened a bit. "...maybe good idea." He said quietly. "...........Deco not like get hurt either." He whispered, sounding almost ashamed of the fact.

Benny buried his face in the other's chest, hoping it made him feel better. "Leaving home can be scary, Deco. I know that more than anyone, but...I won't leave you alone. I promise." He swore. "I promise."

Deco nuzzled the top of Benny's head, and let out a sigh. "...Deco glad..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, making up fish slang and body language: I'm having fun :)  
> My characters: We're not having fun :'(   
> Me: Haha funny fish and tentacle boys :)
> 
> Anyway y'all the plot thickens hope you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I've been writing this :D Leave comments they fuel me and make my heart happy


	24. Close to the heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight checks up with Ilkani

"To...meet you nice it is?"

"It is nice to meet you." Eight corrected.

"It is...nice to meet you." Ilkani repeated, frowning a little. _"...I don't think I'll need to say that at any point anyway."_ She grumbled.

Eight gave a light laugh. _"Well, it's good to have basic phrases down regardless. But...you're probably right."_

_"I don't even think I'll need all that nonsensical verb conjugation anyway. As long as I can get the point across, it doesn't matter how proper I sound."_ She remarked with an eye roll. "That way is danger! Found something! Help!" She chirped out. _"See? Who cares about the fine details."_

_"Fair enough. If it helps, I hear Three isn't doing much better."_ Eight said with an amused look on her face. _"The last time I heard how her lessons from Mr. Cuttlefish were going she said that I was a pretty ink rock?"_

Ilkani nearly choked on her own laughter. _"Sh-she what?! Where'd she get_ rock _from?!"_

_"I have no idea!"_ Eight replied. _"Maybe she was trying to compare my hair to a crystal or something! But she knows how to say 'I love you' perfectly. I can only imagine that was the first thing she asked to learn."_ She laughed quietly at that, cheeks coloring slightly.

Ilkani averted her gaze awkwardly at that. _"...oh. Of course. Obviously."_

_".......yeah."_ Eight looked away as well. There went that conversation. It was always hard to talk to Ilkani about Three. She didn't quite understand why; _Three_ never minded when she talked about Ilkani to _her_.

What could they talk about? Eight didn't want to think about Benny lately, it only served to stress her out. But who else, who else...

_"...whatever happened to the others?"_ She began.

Ilkani looked back at her. _"Who?"_

_"...Lumin. And Ingo."_ Eight replied. _"I...remembered something a bit ago, about the picnic when I...first became an elite I think. I remember them, now...but not anything besides the picnic."_

The other Octoling's eyes widened ever so slightly. _"Well...Lumin went to the concert with you."_ She began. _"It was you, him and Benny who went. He left not long after. You and Benny were still here for a good while before you left. I don't know what happened to Lumin after he disappeared."_

Eight looked down. _"So he could be in Inkopolis, then...that's good to know."_ She murmured to herself. _'Or he could've gotten taken by Kamabo.'_ A nagging thought added. She ignored it. _"What about Ingo?"_

Ilkani looked away again. _"...hm..."_ She wrung her hands together, looking a bit nervous. _"...you probably don't want to know."_

Eight's hearts sank at the implication behind that answer, but she pressed _. "I...I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know."_

_"...you'll think less of that friend of yours."_

_"...no, you're kidding me."_ Eight murmured in response. _"H...how did..."_

_"...he was stationed in Slimeskin."_ She replied. _"Wrong place at the wrong time...though really, was there even a_ right _place? That Inkling destroyed everything in her path."_ Ilkani continued. _"...don't look at me like that."_ She murmured after a moment.

The Octoling averted her gaze. _"I'm...I'm sorry. I wouldn't have brought it up if I'd known..."_

_"What? No,_ I'm _not upset. That kinda stuff is just what's to be expected in a war. Folks don't make it out. I just didn't want to tell you because I knew_ you'd _be upset."_ Ilkani explained. _"You're weirdly sensitive about stuff like this, I don't really get it."_

Eight looked almost offended by the remark. _"...forgive the amnesiac for not being desensitized to the horrors of war."_

Ilkani threw her hands up defensively. _"Right, right, sorry."_ She said. _"If it helps, he was a bit of a jerk anyway."_

Eight sighed. _"It...it doesn't, but thanks for trying."_ She looked down at her hands. _"Is...that why you were upset at Four, actually? Or was it just based on principle?"_

_"What's that supposed to mean? As far as everyone's concerned, they're both_ war criminals _who stole our power."_ She replied. _"They took what we needed to survive. That's reason enough to_ dislike _them at the very least."_

_"But...the Zapfish were theirs to begin with?"_ Eight said in reply. _"And also we have power eggs?"_

_"That's not what power eggs are for."_

_"Then what_ are _they for, Ilkani?"_

The Octoling blinked. _"Um, our weapons? Obviously?"_

_"What are they used for? What do the_ weapons _use them for?"_

_"W-well, they, uh..."_ Ilkani squinted and looked away nervously. Her gaze drifted to a spot behind Eight; Octavio was staring at her. She looked in a different direction. _"...they, well, they..."_

_"...maybe they power them?"_ Eight offered carefully. _"They can't just run on ink, you know."_

_"Y...you don't know that. You can't know that, those kinds of things are only for engineers to know."_

_"There's a nice Horseshoe Crab that helps the other agents, I've seen the machine they use, and the combination of power eggs and Sardinium makes them sturdier...but they also seem to radiate energy. I've felt it. They're called_ Power Eggs _for a reason, Ilkani."_

She shut her eyes tightly. _"No, no, that doesn't make any sense. The Inklings hate us! We're in a war!"_ She hissed.

_"Most Inklings on the surface...think Octarians went extinct, honestly. If we're at war,_ they _certainly don't know that."_

Ilkani bit her tongue. _"You know what? I don't...I don't want to think about this right now."_ She said through grit teeth. Her hands were clasped firmly on her head, gripping it tightly as her eyes burned with a fierce, yet unidentifiable emotion.

Eight slowly frowned. _"...ok, I guess."_ She relented. She could decipher what that meant later. _"A-anyway, we were testing your Inkling...?"_

_"Oh...y-yeah, we were. Gimme a scenario."_

_"Ok, let's say...the Salmonids_ are _hostile, and we're about to be ambushed. What would you say?"_

Ilkani's brow furrowed. "Look...look out, danger!" She offered.

Eight nodded. _"If you saw something important...like pink ink on the ground, what do you say?"_

"There are...traces here?"

Eight raised amused eyebrow. "Traces?" She repeated. _"Do you mean evidence?"_ She inquired.

The other Octoling frowned. _"Is that...not what I said?"_

_"It's more like...that's a vague word that_ could _be considered a synonym, but you'd need to say more than just that to get that specific message across."_ Eight explained. _"Like..."_ She cleared her throat. "There's traces of Benny here."

"There's traces of Benny here..."

_"Though honestly if I was the one saying it, I'd probably say it like..."_ She pondered for a moment. "I think Benny might've been here!"

Ilkani squinted. _"That didn't sound like a conclusive statement in the slightest."_

_"I'm not going to sound sure if I don't have solid proof."_ Eight replied.

Ilkani dramatically flopped backward onto her back. _"Ugh, I hate this stupid language!"_

_"It's not that bad, you know! You're just not used to it yet!"_ Said a new voice.

Ilkani sputtered and shot up, bolt upright, to stare at the stranger. Eight whipped her head around as well, and saw-

"C-Callie?!" She squeaked in alarm.

The Inkling's in question waved amicably. "Hey there! Nice to see you!"

"N-nice to see you too? What, what are you doing here and- wait, you speak Octarian?!"

Callie beamed. "Well of course I do! Kinda had to learn, no one spoke Inkling down there, so..." She didn't turn her head back, but she did glance in Octavio's general direction. "...so I had to learn! Is that so surprising?"

"N-no, I suppose not, but...wow. That's...that's _cool_." She murmured in awe.

Callie grinned and rubbed the back of her head. "Awe shucks, you're a sweetheart. Oh, wait this is your friend, isn't it? I never got to meet her before!" She extended a hand, beaming. _"Hello! I'm Callie! And you must be Ilkani! Hi!"_

Ilkani just stared. She looked shellshocked, and her face was red. She didn't take Callie's hand.

Eight turned to look at her in slight confusion, while Callie pouted a little _. "Ilkani...?"_ The Octoling questioned softly _. "Are...are you alright?"_

Ilkani's head shook rapidly all of a sudden and she snapped out of whatever trance she was in. Her eyes were wide. "It is nice to meet you!" She blurted out squeakily.

Callie blinked. Then her smile returned. "Oh! It's nice to meet you too!"

Ilkani just turned redder.

Eight coughed. "A-anyway, what were you doing here, Callie? Did you just come to say hi, or...?"

The Inkling's smile never faltered for a second. "Oh, no, I was just on my way to the domes. I wanted to check on some of the Octarians we sang to; they seemed a bit...lost last time." She rubbed the back of her head. "It's nice to hang out with fans, and I like to think this isn't too different from that, but like...I don't know, it's nice to feel like I'm helping too, y'know? Gotta be an agent every now and then."

Eight smiled. "I do. I'm sure they'll be very happy to know you care."

"Thanks! Well, guess I'd better be on my way!" She bowed her head a little to Ilkani. _"It was nice meeting you! Have a nice day!"_ She said with her typical Callie cheer, and then skipped away.

Ilkani just kept on staring as she watched her leave. Her cheeks only dimmed their fiery glow once the Inkling was out of sight.

It didn't go unnoticed by Eight, even as if disappeared. _"Um...you ok over there?"_

The other Octoling's blush returned in full force, and she whipped her head around to glare at Eight. "That's _one of the Inklings that held the concert that made you run away?!"_ She demanded.

Eight blinked in surprise at the forceful tone. _"U-uh, yes? Why??"_

Ilkani, still bright red, brought her hands to her face and continued to glare _. "You didn't tell me she was...she was..."_ She huffed, hand on her cheek.

_"She was...? She was what?"_ She inquired, baffled.

_"She was_ cute _!!"_ Ilkani shouted _. "Why didn't you tell me Inklings could be_ cute _?!"_

Eight snorted; she honestly couldn't help it. _"I'm sorry??"_

Ilkani went even redder. _"Don't laugh at me!! Why didn't you tell me?!"_

_"I...because I thought that was obvious??"_ Eight said through her giggles. _"I mean, Three's cute, and you've already seen Three!"_

Ilkani looked at her like she'd grown an extra head. _"Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?_ She _looks like...like...I don't know what she looks like, but cute is not the word I would use!!"_ Ilkani gestured vaguely. _"That Inkling though, that was a_ literal _Goddess."_ She gestured vaguely again, this time in the direction Callie had left in.

The other Octoling tried desperately to stifle her laughter _. "Ilkani, I agree with you 100% - about Callie anyway - but even I didn't have that strong of a reaction."_ She giggled.

Ilkani's wide eyes widened further. _"Y-you can't be implying th-that I have a crush on her or something?!"_ She stammered.

Eight grinned. _"I mean, you said it, not me."_

Ilkani buried her face in her hands. _"This is so wrong!! We're at war!!"_

_"We're not though..."_

_"We're at war and she's an Inkling!!"_

Eight brought a hand to her mouth. _"You don't need to act like you're committing some kind of crime, Ilkani. I'm pretty sure most Octarians would agree with you on this one. I know I do."_

Ilkani didn't respond. She just curled up on the ground and continued to have her lesbian meltdown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip Ingo. Gone and probably already forgotten. Also rip Ilkani she saw a squid too pretty
> 
> Also I'm about to leave for a trip to visit my boyfriend! So don't expect another update within the next week lol. I'm gonna be working on it on and off probably, but I won't post anything until I get back at least. If only because I don't wanna post the Wattpad one any earlier than this one anymore. Hope you guys are enjoying! Leave comments! Thanks for your support <3
> 
> Also full disclosure I know NOTHING about linguistics so don't expect the differences in the languages to get too fleshed out rip


	25. New territory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight visits with Three to test her Octarian

[Eight]: **I'm glad to know the lessons are going well!**

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Me too**  
[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Honestly shouldn't be surprised by how well Cuttlefish knows Octarian but here we are**

[Eight]: **Wasn't he around for the Great Turf War or something crazy like that**

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Nothing 'crazy like that' you had it right the first time, haha. He's older than he looks**  
[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Not that he looks young really**  
[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **You know what I mean**

[Eight]: **Yeah I do**  
[Eight]: **What does he even do again? I don't see him very often**

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Y'know**   
[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Agent stuff. He's mission control**

[Eight]: **I don't know what that means but I'll take your word for it**  
[Eight]: **I checked in with Ilkani a couple days ago and her Inkling is passable enough for what well need to do**  
[Eight]: ***we'll**  
[Eight]: **But I should probably test your Octarian soon as well**  
[Eight]: **Just so I can gauge everything**

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Oh definitely. When should I come over?**

Eight brought her fingers to the screen and began to type up a response...but then something occurred to her.

She'd had Three come over to Pearl's home plenty of times by now. She'd gone over to Four's house with Three as well as by herself. But she had no idea where _Three_ lived. Not a clue.

She was curious now. Perhaps she should've been curious earlier than this...but better late than never, right?

[Eight]: **Actually, what if we met at your house instead? I've never seen it before.**

Three didn't reply right away. In fact, a solid _five minutes_ passed and there was no response. The little ellipses appeared and disappeared multiple times, but no reply actually came in that time. Eight began to worry. Was that not a good thing to ask? Four never minded, though...was it a rude question somehow?

She was just about to apologize for her question when she saw the ellipses pop up again, so she waited. And Three finally replied.

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **You're not really missing much. I live in an apartment**  
[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **Not nearly as cool as your place, trust me**

Eight frowned a bit as she typed her response.

[Eight]: **I don't mind. I'd still like to see**  
[Eight]: **If you don't mind, of course**  
[Eight]: **I won't mind if you do**

She felt a little nervous, for some reason, asking this of Three. Was she greedy for wanting to see Three's home? She honestly didn't know. Three was kind, and brave, and lots of other things that made Eight feel all mushy inside...but she also seemed to keep to herself about things. She didn't always jump to talk about herself much. Was she self-conscious? Perhaps she felt weird about her living space, considering Eight lived in Pearl's _giant mansion_ and-

[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **No, no I don't mind. Just surprised. You've never been curious about my house before.**  
[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **...not a house**  
[🏅🏅Three🏅🏅]: **I was just caught a little off-guard, don't worry about it**

Eight let out a quiet sigh of relief. She'd never want to upset Three, even on accident.

[Eight]: **Aaa, I'm glad. What's the address? I can have someone drop me off**

Three responded with her address and apartment number, Eight told her she'd be on her way, and then promptly ran off to find someone who could drive her.

* * *

There it was: Apartment 303...Three's. Neat coincidence. Good conversation starter if it turned out Three _was_ nervous about this for some reason. She still wasn't sure.

She brought her fist to the door twice and then waited. She heard shuffling sounds, a thud, more shuffling, and then the doorknob turned. Eight took a step back.

The door opened to a very...frazzled-looking Three. She wore a smile, and a tank-top with shorts. _"Greetings to my home?"_ She said in Octarian.

Eight blinked in surprise. "Oh!" She gasped. "Are we doing this already?"

Three's smile was strained. _"If we are, you not mind? I want to...show I can."_ She replied.

The Octoling squinted at the other's expression, but nodded nonetheless. "Uh, ok, sure! Should I...keep speaking Inkling, or would it be better if I spoke Octarian too?"

Three paused. _"Would be better test for real thing...Octarian?"_ She said in reply.

Eight smiled. _"Ok then! Should I...come inside?"_ She asked.

Three swallowed. _"Yes...you may enter..."_ She replied quietly, opening the door wider and stepping aside to allow the other entry.

Eight honestly didn't know what she'd been expecting. It was...small. Well kept. There was some stuff in a pile by a closet door, and the desks were covered in bits and baubles, but it wasn't a massive mess. It seemed comfortable. Lived in. And of course, there was a large framed picture of a dragon on the wall. Seemed like a very talented artist drew it...there was a lot of detail.

The Octoling grinned. _"I like your..._ dragon." She said with a smile. She said the last word in Inkling, as there was no Octarian equivalent.

Three blushed a little. _"Thank you...I paid to have made."_

Eight smiled some more...but then the other's expression jumped out at her. She looked stressed. Downright terrified, if the look in her eyes was sending the message she thought it was. The Octoling frowned. _"Three, are you alright? You look upset."_

The Inkling jumped a little. _"I am fine. Do not worry."_ She strained a smile, but the other saw through it easily.

"I know you better than that, Three..." Eight trailed off, before taking a seat on Three's couch. There was no point in continuing this Octarian exercise if Three was upset about something.

Three stared at her with continued nervousness for a moment or two, and then let out a sigh. She brought herself over and joined her girlfriend on the couch. She sank into it, and the couch let out a quiet squeak as she did so.

Eight stared at the floor. It was so weird, being here. How had Marina described it...liminal spaces, was it? Where you feel weird because you don't expect to be in a place? It wasn't even that she was uncomfortable...it just felt unusual; the material of the couch was unfamiliar. The only thing she knew about this place was Three...and _she_ seemed just as much out of her depth as she did.

"..." What could she even say? They didn't usually _have_ awkward silences like this. "...really, Three...you can talk to me, you know; if you want to...I promised I'd be there for you if you needed me, remember?"

_"There...is hard for me to talk about."_ Three said slowly. She sounded like she was struggling to speak, taking a few moments too many to forcefully get each syllable to come out clearly...which brought into question why she was still speaking Octarian at all.

"You...if something's bothering you, we can do this later. Whatever's going on...you'll probably feel more comfortable speaking in Inkling." Eight replied.

The Inkling stared at the floor in turn. "...probably." She conceded with a sigh. "It's just, I...it's stupid."

"What is?"

"I...the reason I'm upset. It's stupid." She leaned on her side into the arm of the couch.

"...I don't think it is. If...if something's upsetting you, then it's not dumb."

Three half-turned. "No, it _is_ stupid. It's stupid because I don't _know_ what I'm even stressed out over!"

Eight blinked. "What?"

Three closed her eyes and sat up straight again. "I don't know! I just...you asked to come over and it's not like I don't want you here but, but I never invite people over to my house, _apartment_ so this has always felt like a _me_ space so now it's like, am I doing this right?? How do I be a host, am I supposed to do something, I feel wrong about this, should something be happening?! Nothing's even happened yet you literally just got here, and-"

Eight quickly turned her body towards her girlfriend and placed gentle hands on her shoulders. "Hey, hey, it's ok..." She soothed, looking into Three's face, though the Inkling's eyes were still closed. "Do you...want me to leave? I won't mind, I can test your Octarian at my place after all if that would make you more comfortable-"

"No!" Three cut her off with a start, her eyes shooting open to stare at the other. "I'm not- you don't need to leave, I don't want you to, to...It's not because of you, I'm the one who said you could come, I just..." She gave an exasperated sigh and buried her face in her hands. "This shouldn't be stressful, I shouldn't be _stressed_ about this! Nothing's happening that hasn't happened before! It's not like we've never been alone together! This isn't even a _romance_ thing, I just-!" She groaned. "I don't get it! Why am I stressed?!"

The Octoling frowned a bit. That sounded...familiar? Not the words, but the struggle. "Hmm...I think...something similar happened...to me, when I first came to the surface." She began, eyes narrowing at the memory.

Three brought her face up, looking at her girlfriend, distraught but hopeful.

Eight continued to frown; she was still facing Three, but it was clear her sour expression wasn't directed at her. "I...I _knew_ I could trust Pearl and Marina. I knew that more than literally anything else at that point. My memories were hazy, even the ones I got back, but _they_ were clear in my mind as people I could trust." Her hands clenched a little on Three's shoulders. "But I couldn't relax for those first few days. It was like my brain thought the house wasn't safe, even though I knew the truth was otherwise. I couldn't sleep for two or three days."

Three's eyes softened in sympathy, but she didn't interrupt.

Eight cleared her throat. "I...I thought something was wrong with me. Or...with them. But...but sometimes it's no one's fault. It wasn't Pearl or Marina's...it wasn't mine. The situation was unfamiliar and it played tricks on my mind...made me think I was in danger. That was all. Once those days were over and I was able to convince myself I was somewhere safe, I was able to get to sleep." She explained.

Three's face softened, and she looked down at the couch cushion. "So...you think because this is such an unfamiliar scenario...my brain is interpreting it as dangerous?" She inquired quietly.

"Maybe." She raised a hand off the other's shoulder and brought it to her cheek. She smiled. "I think no less of you, Three. And really, if you would feel more comfortable, we can go back to Pearl's house."

Three sighed into the touch. Her eyes drifted off to the side. "...no. I'll...I'll be fine. I...I want to invite you over more often, so...so I need to get used to it. Like you said, maybe it's just about reassuring my brain that there's no danger despite how weird this is. I want...I want to _enjoy_ having you here."

Eight's smile was soft, and filled with admiration. "For what it's worth, I think your apartment is very nice."

Three laughed quietly, her gaze returning to the other's face. "Thanks. Honestly I really am proud of that dragon. Best financial decision I've ever made."

Eight turned her head to look at it again. It was a great salamander-like thing, with wings attached to the front legs, and clinging to a ship. It had a broken mast clutched in its tail and a piece of a torn sail in its mouth. It was storming at sea. _Majestic_.

"It's very impressive." Eight agreed. "It's nice to look at."

"...so are you." Three said quietly.

Eight blushed bright blue and swiftly turned back to blink at her. She looked startled.

Three looked sheepish as her own face flushed with color. She opened her mouth to say something, but then slowly closed it again. Her shy smile faded away and was slowly replaced by a frown. She brought up one of her hands and rested it against the hand still on her cheek. "...you're too good for me, you know." She murmured sadly.

Eight's eyes glistened with concern, seeing the other's smile disappear. "...you're still feeling nervous, aren't you?" She inquired gently.

She gave a tiny nod. "...I'm sorry."

The Octoling paused, contemplating, and then gently pulled her closer. "You don't have anything to be sorry for."

Three let herself be pulled without resistance. "...I do, though. I'm putting a damper on your visit...you came here to test my Octarian, not to cheer me up, and-"

"Shh, listen." Eight cut her off, guiding her head until it rested against her chest.

Three shut her mouth immediately. _Heartbeats_. Eight's heartbeats. She let out a sigh. This was...hmm. This was certainly different. Their positioning was...this was probably the most intimate position they'd ever been in...especially because Eight was the one initiating for once. The Octoling was usually the more passive one out of the two of them. Three must've been more out of it than she'd thought.

She let out another sigh. The drumming of Eight's hearts steadied her, grounded her. The sound brought her a sense of safety, surprisingly. It was like all the anxiety just...melted. Not melted _away_ , necessarily, but...it was a puddle on the floor and she was definitely still standing it in, but it was infinitely better than having it freeze her in place like it was earlier.

Metaphors are hard.

Eight's hand rested against her back. Three closed her eyes and sighed once more at the gentle touch. It was...nice.

Slowly, she reached her arms around Eight's middle; if they were going to cuddle, it might as well be a mutual endeavor.

Eight let out a tiny little sound, like a warble, of contentment. The heat flooded back to Three's face.

_"...I love you."_ The Inkling murmured in Octarian.

Eight made a sound of surprise, and then hummed affectionately, leaning her head down so her forehead was resting atop Three's tentacles. _"You are beautiful and special to me."_ The Octoling whispered back. _"Each time we meet is a blessing._ You _are a blessing."_

Three's own hearts soon matched the pace of Eight's.

The Octoling continued her softly spoken words of adoration. _"You make me so happy. I'm always so happy when I get to see you. Everyone seems to think you're serious and tough, but with me you're soft, and I am honored you let me see that part of you. Every part of you I see makes me love you even more."_

_"You..."_ Three tried to come up with something equally sweet in Octarian, but she couldn't find the words. Her eyes fluttered shut. "You make me happier than I can say." She mumbled, then turned her head so her face was against Eight's chest. She groaned. "Why are you so much better at this than me, ughhh."

Eight gave a gentle laugh, and was about to go back to speaking in Inkling, but then she got an idea; she continued in Octarian instead. _"You don't need to say anything, Three. I know you care about me."_

Three paused a moment before replying. "I...love so many things about you, Eight. I'm just not always good at putting them into words. I'm sorry..." She mumbled.

Eight pressed a kiss to the back of the Inkling's head. _"There's nothing to apologize for, love. You show it different than I do. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that."_

Three squeezed Eight a bit tighter. "...can we just...lay here awhile? Would you mind?" She asked quietly.

_"I'll be here for as long as you need me."_ The Octoling replied.

"...thank you."

* * *

"Th-thanks for being here, Eight." Three said to her girlfriend at the door. "I...really don't know what I'd do without you."

The other gave a tiny, bashful smile. "It was no trouble at all. You're always so good at making me feel calm, so I was glad to return the favor. I'm very glad I could help." She reached out and held Three's hand.

Three blushed lightly. "Well, it _did_ help, so...eherm, I did have one question, though."

"Hm?"

"Why was it...that you started speaking Octarian for the last bit of that conversation?" She inquired.

Eight's eyes lit up. "Oh! Well, initially, it was because you said you loved me in Octarian again and I wanted to say nice things too, and I'm a lot more eloquent in Octarian, but then I realized something."

"What did you realize?"

"That you had not much trouble understanding me when I spoke in Octarian. I remember Marina told me something neat about learning languages...when she was teaching me Inkling initially. She said that usually, your input is better than your output..? Or that you can usually understand a language quicker than you can learn to speak it." She explained. "What I realized is that, technically, _that's_ what we should be testing; not how well _you_ can speak Octarian, but how well you can understand people that _do_."

Three's eyes widened at that. "That's...a really good point." She admitted.

Eight grinned. "Right? I remember, when I was checking Ilkani's Inkling, Callie came by and said some stuff in Inkling to me, and after she left, Ilkani didn't ask for _any_ clarification about what Callie said. I'll have to double check with her to make sure I'm right...but I think we would all be able to get by by just speaking the language we're most comfortable with!"

Three gave a small smile of her own. "That _would_ probably be ideal. More ideal than both of us sending mixed messages by phrasing things wrong."

The Octoling chuckled. "Exactly. Though if I'm being honest, I _was_ partly looking forward to hearing the both of you sound as funny as I did when I first learned Inkling. I remember Pearl thought it was hilarious."

"Heh, how the tables have turned, huh? Now you're the one who knows the most out of all three of us."

Eight blushed lightly at that. "Ha...that is a bit funny."

A horn honked, catching Eight's attention.

"Ah, I better be going. Don't want to keep them waiting." She gave a quick peck to Three's cheek and then made for the stairs. "We should be ready to start looking soon. As soon as I figure out how well Ilkani's comprehension is. I'll let you know."

Three waved lightly. "I'll be ready and waiting. Love you, Eight!" She called.

Eight waved back up at her. "Love you, Three! See you again soon, hopefully!" And with that, she hopped in the car.

Three watched them depart, cheeks warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> D...do I win Softest 24 award....? Maybe...? Idk I don't read too many fics on here all things considered
> 
> This chapter features literally the only thing I already knew about linguistics! The input-output thing(though the place I learned that from was talking about sign language but I'm sure the principle is the same)! So unfortunately there won't be any funny-speech things going on when the three of them go searching. Rip everyone who might've been excited for that
> 
> Next chapter is the final installment of Benny's Quest~ are y'all excited for it? So am I because I still have to write it lol! I'm hoping it'll be cute! You guys be sure to hold me to that!
> 
> Leave comments! I'll be playing FE3H for the foreseeable future so like...distract me from this angst pile plz


	26. Benny's Quest, part 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six months after the fall...

Benny looked out over the village with a small frown. It had taken a while, but he had finally bid the town farewell. He'd probably miss it, even if his stay was meant to be temporary to begin with.

It had only taken a whole month because he and Deco had to make plans; the Salmonid wasn't sure if he wanted to haul all the stuff in his treasure pile up the mountain too. The end result of which was a resounding _no, he didn't_. His egg would survive even without a nest fashioned after it.

It had also taken a while to convince all the other Salmonids that no, Deco wasn't _kidnapping_ him, _good gosh would you all calm down_. Jule in particular seemed quite distressed to hear he was leaving. She was ready to fight Deco to keep him there until Benny was able to convince her it was his idea to begin with. So she and her employees gave him a proper sendoff instead.

Deco wanted to board up his house as well, just so no one would take his stuff. A precaution just in case they did come back down into town sometime.

But after all that, and a good week or so of scouting the mountainside to find a way up, they were finally there. The village was far below them, and they were free. In the wilderness, high above the water and safe from any other angry fish that might want to hurt them.

Deco was really the only angry fish he wanted to associate with anyway.

And speaking of Deco...he'd finally returned from his quick last trip down into town.

He gave a huff as he heaved his armful of lumber over a short ledge, and then flung himself up as well, landing on his stomach. "Hehhh....there. Now can make shelter." He panted.

Benny gave a smile. "Thank you, Deco. But, uh, where did you get this from, anyway?"

He lifted his head slightly. "Car-pent-er fish hut. Glare at till give wood. Would buy, but Goldies took spend egg pouch last time."

The Octarian gave a weak laugh. "Y...yeah. Hopefully they weren't too upset with you. The carpenters, I mean."

"Not matter. Need make shelter or friend Benny get rained on when rain. Not want. Water bad for friend." Deco replied, stretching out his body and sitting up again. He surveyed the surrounding area. "Where good place build?"

Benny looked around, his eyes landing on one tree in particular. "There maybe? We can make a roof and attach it to the side of that tree."

Deco followed his gaze and nodded, picking up a few boards and moving them over.

Benny may have used the word 'we,' but there really wasn't much he could do to help. His lack of arms continued to be a nuisance to all.

So, with a lack of anything better to do, Benny went about observing the area a bit more.

He figured it must've been...fairly close to where he'd been initially shot down, despite the fact he didn't really recognize anything. It _had_ been a good few months, after all. But...he and Garratia had also spent a good few months themselves on this mountain before they'd been attacked; or rather, before _she'd_ been attacked. Luckily she'd caught the Inkling's attention before she'd had a chance to notice him.

He squinted at the trees and the undergrowth. It was still just as beautiful as he remembered it... _nature_. But...this wasn't _as_ close to where the two of them had camped before the fight. There'd been a stream...and he saw no stream _now_. Would it be better to relocate to somewhere closer to where Garratia had been...?

Benny turned back to Deco for a moment. The Salmonid was dutifully nailing boards to the tree, hissing under his breath.

The Octarian's eyes softened a bit. No, no need. If Garratia was looking for him, which she probably would be by now, then it'd be better to stay in one spot.

Of course, that was assuming she _was_ ok to begin with. He'd never established that. For all he knew...she could've gotten splatted in the fight. Or splatted when she fell in the hole. Or splatted by whatever it was that shot him down.

Benny shook himself off. No, he refused to accept that. She was the most capable person he'd ever met. There's no way she'd be felled by something so simple. She was an elite, and he was a basic air troop. The kind of thing that could manage to take her down would have to be something far outside his scope of comprehension.

...but then again, Agent 3 _would_ probably be on that list of things. And there had definitely been an encounter of some kind. There'd been a fight, the conclusion of which he'd never managed to catch.

He let out an audible sigh of exasperation. All this thinking was doing him no good, no good at all. It wasn't productive, he needed to be doing something useful.

His eyes darted about. What was important, what was important? Shelter was important, but Deco was already working on that. Fortifying the shelter was important, but they could figure that out once they actually _had_ something to fortify.

Food! That hadn't been figured out yet! They'd managed back down in the village for the past month on leftovers and a bit of generosity from Jule, but the Goldies has taken Deco's money eggs so it wasn't as though they'd be able to go down for supply runs _now_. Benny'd probably be able to find some edible plants, but Deco was an obligate carnivore...they'd need to find that stream and catch fish or something...or maybe birds? Benny wasn't sure.

But if Benny could start searching for some berries or something for _him_ to eat, he might as well. Better than just standing around looking confused.

He sniffed the air. His sense of smell was...lacking, to say the least, but he could manage.

That is...he could manage, but not for a task like _this_ one. The kind of scent he wanted to find would be much too faint for _him_ to pick up. He'd either have to rely on sight or ask Deco. Salmonids had great senses of smell, he'd heard.

His eyes scanned across the foliage. Nothing colorful jumped out at him. Or, rather, he approached the one spot of color he saw, but it was just a flower. He frowned.

"...you're not a berry." He mumbled. It was a nice flower at least. He let out a sigh, reminding himself not to stress too much. Deco could help once he was done with the shelter.

_'...why can't I do anything without help?'_ He thought to himself sourly. _'I should be able to do something this simple on my own. I owe it to Deco to offer as much help as I can. I shouldn't trouble him.'_

He turned himself a little to glance back at the Snatcher. His fins were hard at work and his tail was swishing. He'd managed to get a roof attached to the tree, and was working on adding walls. It was going to be a _tiny_ cabin, but it would do. They had to make the most of what they had.

And it would get done faster if Benny didn't distract him. Looking for berries would be easy and helpful...making Deco do it for him would be the opposite.

He took a step into the undergrowth. Small bits of color, small bits of color...he needed small bits of color...if he remembered...Garratia had found berries while they were on the mountain...and they were dark red? So...dark red spots, he just needed to find dark red spots.

...which was easier said than done when the forest floor was cast in shadow. Ugh.

"...where Benny go??" He heard Deco cry from behind him.

The Octocopter scampered back into the light, smiling sheepishly. "S-sorry, I was just trying to find berries or something."

Deco squinted. "...how pick with no hands?" He asked.

Benny pouted. "...yeah, I didn't think that far. I just didn't want to bother you, you're already busy building the shelter..."

The Salmonid sighed, glancing back at his work. "Good for now. Sky clear, no rain prob'ly. Can help friend." He set his tools down.

Benny let out a sigh of his own. "If you're sure it's not too much trouble..."

"Ugh, friend Benny _need_ help! Deco _want_ help! Not trouble!!" He replied in slight exasperation, throwing his fins up. He shuffled a bit closer to Benny for a moment, and then paused, looking back. He'd laid his gold ball underneath the board he'd nailed to the tree. His eyes locked onto it. Conflicted.

"Hrng..." He grumbled. "What do...? Not want leave egg, but need hands for berry pick..." He mumbled to himself.

"Is there...anything I can do...?" Benny offered.

Deco whipped his head back towards his friend and gave something that was _almost_ a smile. "Friend Benny stay...watch egg?" He inquired.

The Octarian blinked. "Uh, ok, sure. If you want me to."

He nodded. " _Do_ want. Thank." He bowed his head, and then shuffled off into the forest.

Benny, now alone, walked over to their half-built shelter and sat beside Deco's egg. He glanced down at it, and soon became lost in thought again.

Deco always called it an egg, and all the other Salmonids were convinced it wasn't one, but Benny had no real way to verify one way or another who was right. On one hand, he trusted Deco. On the other...it really didn't look like the little orange ones that they all used for spending. They didn't really look any different when they were fertilized, did they? They looked the same at a distance...so this probably wasn't an egg...right? Unless there was more than one kind of egg...?

It still didn't make a difference...not to Benny, but he had a feeling Deco would be sad if it turned out his egg would never hatch.

The Octocopter tapped it with his boot. It was stiff, hard, metallic? It felt metallic. Was it solid gold? That'd be impressive, if it wasn't an egg. Benny couldn't help but wonder where he'd found it in the first place, no matter what it was. He'd love to get an idea...but he still had no idea how the Salmonid military structure was supposed to work and he didn't want to upset his friend by asking. Was it abandoned somewhere? That wouldn't make sense, whether it was an actual egg or a solid gold ball or something else entirely.

Around fifteen minutes of pondering passed before Benny realized Deco hadn't come back. He gave a worried frown in the direction he'd left in, and then turned to the horizon. The sun was low in the sky...almost sunset. If it was hard to see in the undergrowth _now_ , visibility certainly wasn't going to improve with time.

It was fifteen _more_ minutes after _that_ before Deco returned, carrying an armful of berries, _and_ a dead bird in his mouth. He dropped the berries on the ground and spat the bird off to the side. "Found food! Food for friend _and_ food for Deco!" He exclaimed, sounding proud.

Benny got to his feet and assessed the berries with a furrowed brow. They looked like the berries he and Garratia had found before: dark red collections of attached circles. Didn't know what they were called. But...considering how long Deco took, there really weren't all that many. Perhaps most of that time was spent getting the bird? Probably best not to ask.

The Octocopter gave a sheepish smile. "Thanks Deco. Is the patch far?"

Deco shook his head and shuffled back over to the tree line. He began gathering sticks into his arms. "Not far. Bit into forest, but can find again later. Not hard."

Benny squinted. "...what are you doing?" He inquired.

Deco shuffled back over to the area in front of the tree they were using for shelter and deposited the sticks. "Not know how friend eat berry, but Deco want cook bird to eat. Need make fire." He then scanned the ground. "Need good fire-start rocks..."

Benny smiled brightly. Deco was so resourceful! "Oh! Of course! Is there anything I can do to help?"

The Salmonid paused, bringing a thoughtful fin to his chin. "Hrm...think fine, but...friend Benny need cook berry?"

The Octarian shook his head.

Deco made a contemplative sound. "Hrng...what friend do with no arms?"

Benny gave a sour frown. "...you can say I'm no help. I won't be upset." He murmured quietly.

The Salmonid fixed him with a disappointed look. "Octo _not_ no help. Octo good at help. Just cuz no arm, not mean bad. Friend good at things, just not _lift_ things."

The Octarian gave a weak smile. "I-if you say so, Deco."

The Salmonid paced (or whatever you'd call the legless equivalent to pacing) in a circle for a minute, fin to his chin and deep in thought. Eventually, he brought his head back up and looked Benny in the face. "Octo ink _spit_ , yes?" He inquired.

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

Deco gestured to the area around them. "Make circle? Protect from danger." He suggested, smirking, as if quite proud of his idea.

Benny blinked. "Huh. Ok, sure, I can do that."

He paced a good distance around their tree and began to spit ink on the ground. He had to pause frequently, his ink sack wasn't too big, but he eventually managed to get a circle. His ink was just a few shades lighter than Salmonid 'ink' was. Not that it mattered; he wasn't trying to fool anyone with it, really.

He turned back to Deco, who'd managed by then to make a fire. He'd impaled his bird with another stick and was holding it over the campfire.

Benny observed him for a moment. It was just barely dark enough that the light from the fire got caught on Deco's face. He looked just as neutral as he always did, not smiling, but not exactly frowning either. Just...ok. Deco felt ok, he could tell.

Which was a massive improvement from how he was when the Octarian had first met him. He'd always been some kind of irritated back then. But...not now. He was fine. Content, even if not overjoyed.

It was nice, Benny thought, to feel like he'd been helping the other feel better, even in such a small way.

Deco looked up, catching him staring, and waved him over. The Octocopter smiled, scampering to the fireside.

They'd be just fine.

* * *

Benny was awoken, later that night, by a sudden chill. Had a breeze snuck its way into their little shack? When he'd fallen asleep, Deco had been blocking the entrance...

Benny did his best to blink the sleep from his eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness. Trying to figure out where his friend had gone.

It was a minute later before he spotted him, resting a ways away on his stomach, staring at the sky. Wistful, perhaps. It was hard to tell at a distance.

Benny stood up, stretched a bit, and approached, still groggy but not willing to break the quiet to ask what the Salmonid was doing.

Deco turned his head a bit, gave Benny a tiny smile, and patted the ground beside him with a fin.

Seeing the Salmonid smile was a rare treat; he'd be remiss to turn down such a rare opportunity. He sat beside him, and for a moment, the pair just...stared at the sky together.

It was a beautiful night. Really, truly beautiful. Forget the sun, _this_ was what being trapped underground had deprived him of.

...had the stars ever looked this nice back down in the village?

"...sky, nice on mountain." Deco said quietly.

"Mmn." Benny hummed in agreement.

Deco's chin dropped a bit, and he made a faint, thoughtful sound. "Benny...miss friend?" He inquired.

The Octarian turned his head, a bit surprised by the question. "Huh? Where's this coming from?" He asked in reply.

Deco didn't respond, just continued to stare at the ground with furrowed brow.

Benny blinked, then sighed. "...yeah. I do miss her." He admitted.

The Salmonid hummed in response. "...what friend like?"

The Octarian stared up at the stars for a moment more, then closed his eyes. "Garratia was...smart, confident, and all kinds of talented. She was tough, and brave, and she always worked so hard to get the things she wanted. She was never willing to take shortcuts, she always wanted to do things fairly. She was like...a big sister to me. I've known her all my life."

Deco was quiet. "How...long know?" He questioned after a beat.

Benny opened his eyes again, confused. "My...whole life?" He repeated.

The Salmonid nodded. "Yes. How _long_?" He questioned again.

He blinked a few tones, trying to decipher the question. "Uh..." He mumbled, and a moment later he figured it out. "Oh. You're asking how old I am."

Deco nodded again.

Benny gave a sheepish smile. "Uh...16 this year." He replied. It was weird this hadn't ever come up before. "...how old are you?"

Deco frowned to himself. "Hrm, not sure if fish year same as octo year, but...18."

The other gave a quiet laugh. "Huh. Not what I would've guessed. I would've thought you'd be older."

The Snatcher gave a small shrug. "Meh. Start small for fish soldier."

Benny looked back up at the sky. "Yeah...Octarians too. I was...always scared of getting hurt."

"...Deco same. But not good for fight if not _want_ fight." He murmured.

The Octocopter scooted just a bit closer to Deco. "I...was always terrible at aiming. Everyone always made fun of me because I couldn't hit anything."

Deco made a small growling sound. Almost protective.

"...it wasn't like anyone could've hurt me. Not with Garra protecting me. She was...important. The king's youngest daughter. Destined to become someone...powerful, someone to either succeed him or just...I don't know, something else just as grand and spectacular." He said. "But she still wanted someone like _me_ as her friend. She still threatened anyone who made me feel like I didn't matter." He gave a tiny laugh. "When people called me names, she called me 'Commander'. She...she was the best friend I could've ever asked for growing up. I would've left with her even if I hadn't heard the song, I bet."

Deco curled his tail a bit, then rested it on the ground. His chin fell to the ground as well, his egg sitting beside his face. "...is _Deco_ good friend...?" He asked quietly, timidly, sounding as though he was afraid of the answer.

Benny's eyes popped. He stared down at Deco in disbelief. And he almost responded loudly, such was his shock, but then he saw the nervous look in his friend's eyes. He...looked so vulnerable. This was a _genuine_ question to the Salmonid.

The Octarian's expression softened.

"Deco...of _course_ you are. You're a _great_ friend." He replied, voice soft as well.

Deco's eyes narrowed, looking sadly up at Benny. "...Benny sure...?"

He gave as reassuring a smile as he could muster. "Absolutely."

The Salmonid looked back out at the stars, not looking quite convinced. "Hrn..."

Benny sighed, leaning a bit closer towards his friend. "I wouldn't have survived out here by myself. If you hadn't let me stay, I would've...I don't even wanna _think_ about what could've happened to me. And even when I wasn't being actively useful, you still chose to...spend time with me. You're...important to me, Deco. You're a _great_ friend."

Deco's eyes glistened in the moonlight. He sniffled. "G...great friend...? Think Deco...... _great_?" His voice was edged with disbelief, as if what Benny was saying was impossible.

The Octarian gave a gentle nod. "I really do, Deco. I'm sure."

The Salmonid gazed up at Benny, a bafflingly hopeful look in his eyes. And then he managed a smile, a _real_ one, wide and full. "Benny is... _best_ friend." He told the other, genuine pride in his tone.

Benny was taken aback by the tone and expression. This was, quite possibly, the happiest he'd ever seen him. And it was because of _him_! It made at least one of his hearts skip a beat, seeing the other really smiling.

A smile of equal fervor found its way onto Benny's face. Just as hopeful, just as proud. "I'm really glad, Deco."

The Octarian looked away from the Salmonid, back up at the sky. The moon was beautiful, and so were the stars.

Deco, nuzzling a bit closer to the Octocopter, rejoined him in gazing upward into the speckled starscape.

Benny's hearts were warm.

He decided he would mind all that much if Garratia took her time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI GUYS I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG I FINISHED JUST LAST NIGHT
> 
> But I wanted to get all the feelings out so it took a good while....rip
> 
> Anyway, I'd love to make an estimate about when the next part'll go up but I'm not going to because I'll be Wrong. Hope you enjoy this chapter in the meantime at least lol 
> 
> I at least know what the next two chapters are going to be ABOUT, so once I get to writing them it shouldn't take TOO long. I just have to start that's the hard part.
> 
> Thanks for the love so far, guys <3 leave comments <3 <3 <3


	27. For her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ilkani and Three finally get to chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I'm probably exaggerating their comprehension a little plz don't tell me I'm very aware TnT

Ilkani and Three faced away from each other, arms crossed. The three of them would be leaving for the search soon, but they had to wait for Eight to be done first. Cuttlefish had something to tell her before they left.

"..." Three glanced sideways at the Octoling beside her, squinting a bit. Not even angry squinting, just...perplexed. Cautious. Not sure what she was feeling.

_"..."_ Ilkani mirrored the glance, though her gaze was decidedly more perturbed. She seemed to know _exactly_ how she felt.

"...I...apologize." Three murmured. She figured she might as well be the first to break the silence. Better to get this out of the way before they got on the helicopter Pearl had loaned them for the expedition. "I've caused the Octarians a lot of grief, I can imagine, so I can understand that you don't associate me with anything pleasant. I won't force you to be my...friend or anything."

Ilkani paused to decipher, and then sighed. _"...I think I'm past that by now."_ She replied. _"Eight trusts you, and I trust her, and I never interacted with you personally prior to seeing Eight again. There's...I just don't understand one thing."_

Three was quiet, and then raised an eyebrow. "What don't you understand?"

_"...how you can go from...embarking on a campaign of spite and vengeance against our people to, you know,_ literally _being in a committed relationship with someone you would've splatted had you met in slightly different circumstances."_ She explained, brow furrowed in slight irritation. _"How can you go from hate to love that quickly? It makes no sense."_

Three grimaced. "I don't know some of those words but I think I can guess the point." She rubbed her arm. "And as an answer...it wasn't quick. And there was plenty reason. And I don't think I ever _hated_ _her_ to begin with."

_"...explain?"_

The Inkling gave a sigh, gazing over towards where Eight was listening attentively to the captain. "Well, for starters, I was a bit younger when I combed through looking for the Zapfish. I didn't really question anything. All I knew was that some of our stuff was stolen, and that made it a dangerous situation for Inkopolis, so I helped. I was plenty used to Turf War by that point, so it didn't occur to me at first that I was _permanently_ splatting you guys. If I'd known that...if I'd realized..."

Ilkani was deathly quiet.

Three cleared her throat. "B-but...I never hated you. I never hated the Octarians. I think...the most I felt was fear. Because you guys had stolen our power! And maybe you needed it, but so did we! And that seemed like a bad thing to me! Didn't help that Octavio talked himself up as some big bad."

The other didn't respond.

The Inkling gave a small sigh and decided to continue. "And...as far as where Eight fits into this...I missed a lot of the cool stuff she did. But...apparently I got brainwashed after I saved her, and wanted to hurt her, and she...saved _me_. And I didn't even realize until later. And then she saved the world or something! While I was passed out!" Three brought a hand to her forehead. "I remember waking up, confused, everyone was celebrating. And...she was looking at me...with no small amount of fondness."

Ilkani raised an eyebrow. _"...what, did you guys just immediately hit it off right then?"_ She questioned incredulously.

Three shook her head. "No, not at all. It was a good few months after when I started to feel that way about her." Her eyes darkened a bit, clouded with sadness. "And...I didn't really feel right interacting much with her for that first month. After the ride to Inkopolis, she...kinda retreated into a shell. She bumped into someone on the street and started shaking. I was sure she wouldn't wanna see me. I kinda tried to kill her twice by that point, you know? Not the best first impression."

The Octoling leered. _"Jerk."_

Three put her hands up defensively. "Chill out, that's not the point." She retorted. "The point is...that it wasn't actually me that initiated contact. Despite how jumpy and spooked by everything she seemed...it was actually _her_ that reached out to _me_ at the end of that first month. And I thought that she must be brave. Really brave. Because we hadn't really spoken since that day, and I didn't feel like I deserved to be trusted, but she did anyway." She sighed, and her gaze drifted back to her girlfriend.

In the distance, Eight had her hands covering her mouth as she listened to Cuttlefish speak.

The Inkling's gaze was lovestruck. "She...she's the most amazing person I've ever met."

The Octoling beside her scrutinized her for a moment, eyes narrow. But then she let out a sigh of her own. _"...she was different before you met her."_ She murmured.

Three turned back towards Ilkani. "Do you mean that in a 'better or worse' kinda sense, or...?"

Ilkani's gaze was towards the dirt. She kicked at it absently. _"No, of course not. I may not have known 'Eight' for as long as you have, but I knew Garratia for a very long time, and let me tell you, she was the most self-assured Octoling ever. She...had opportunities handed to her, but she refused to take any shortcut that would only apply to her. She was fierce, took no nonsense from anyone, and she never turned down a chance to protect someone."_

Ilkani wrung her hands together, gazing towards Eight herself. _"But...she's not quite like that now. She seems to let people tell her what to do. She lets people do things for her if they offer, even if it's something she could easily do herself. She...she's soft-spoken. She doesn't jump to conclusions as quickly."_ The Octoling closed her eyes. _"She's not necessarily worse, mind you; just...different. Not quite the person I remember."_

Three gave a silent nod, not quite understanding completely what the other was saying but able to fill in the blanks. "...she's very good at analyzing how people are feeling." She commented.

Ilkani brought her head back up with a faint smile. _"She's always been good at that. She called me out when I was trying to hide that I had a crush on her."_

Three laughed. "Oh, she did the exact same thing to me. I thought I was going to die."

_"Same. Just, she's so cool, and we're such losers?"_

Three laughed again. "Right! Exactly!"

There was a momentary pause in which the laughter died down, followed by a couple moments where the two watched Eight from afar again. She looked like she was shaking a bit, but it was hard to tell why from a distance.

Eventually, Ilkani cleared her throat. _"Eherm, just so we're clear, I still don't like you. War criminal."_ She informed the other.

Three rolled her eyes. "Sure sure, fair."

_"But..."_ She continued, averting her gaze a bit. _"...Eight trusts you. And last time I tried insulting you she told me off. So it'll probably be for the best...if I learn to at least kinda sorta_ pretend _to enjoy your company?"_ She offered, giving a very forced smile.

The Inkling grimaced after realizing what the other was implying. "Yeah, no, you're not going to do that. Not in the slightest. If you don't like me, don't pretend to like me." She let out a sigh. "I don't mind a little banter; how about this: _you_ get to insult _me_ as long as _I_ get to insult _you_." She extended a hand towards the Octoling, giving a half-smirk. "Sound fair?"

Ilkani gave a snort, taking the hand firmly. _"Ha! Maybe we'll get along a bit better than I thought! Sounds plenty fair to me, war criminal!"_ She replied, bearing her beak in a wide grin. A challenge. _"You think you can keep up with me and Eight long enough to be helpful?"_

Three squeezed the others hand in return. "What, do _you_ think you can stand to not be bitter and angry long enough to be helpful?" She shot back, tone carrying more amusement than accusation.

Ilkani's eyes lost a fraction of their mirth. _"I'd be tempted to be insulted if your language didn't sound so stupid."_ She mocked.

"Sorry the tongue of my people underwhelms you." She retorted with an eye roll.

_"Doesn't flow nearly as well. You're lucky I wanted to help Eight, I'd never bother learning otherwise. I thought you sounded dumb before, but now that I know what you're saying you sound even dumber."_

Three removed her hand from the other, and crossed her arms indignantly. "Well _you_ sounded like you were cussing me out every time you opened your mouth before. Funny enough I haven't heard a _single_ swear word in this whole conversation." She replied. "Is that a coincidence, I wonder?" Or maybe she just hadn't been taught the swears, but she kept that detail to herself.

Ilkani leered again. _"...I think you're implying I'm soft. Are you calling me soft?"_ She growled.

She smirked. She was right after all. "I didn't say anything."

_"Oh you definitely did. You're definitely implying I'm soft."_ Her face got a bit closer to Three's, as if trying to intimidate her.

Unfortunately for her, Three had a trump card she'd been saving for this very scenario. "I mean, based on what Eight told me, you're not exactly an unfeeling, emotionless stone."

Ilkani bore her beak again. _"And what is that supposed to mean?!"_

"Heh. _Callie_ , that's what."

And immediately all the confidence vanished, replaced by a fierce blush. She was too stunned by being called out to even back away from her close proximity.

Three did it for her, poking a finger to her forehead and pushing her away.

Ilkani sat back down, a deliberate lack of focus in her eyes.

The Inkling took one look at her expression and snickered. "You know, when Eight told me initially I thought she was joking. But I guess not. Didn't think you'd be the type to fall prey to Callie's wiles."

Ilkani stared at the ground with a sudden fierce focus. _"I don't know what that means."_

"Just that I thought you'd be the type to stubbornly resist her or something." Three replied, smirking.

The Octoling didn't move or turn her head in the slightest. _"What, is she captivating to Inklings just as much as she is to Octarians?"_

"I wouldn't say it like that, but even I can admit she's charming."

Ilkani slowly turned to face Three again, looking incredulous. But before she had a chance to retort back, she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder from the other side. She whipped around.

Eight was staring at her. Nervous. _"Ilkani...?"_

Ilkani shook the blush from before from her face. _"Yes? What is it?"_

She wrung her hands together, still very clearly nervous, and looked Ilkani in the eye. _"Did...did you know I had siblings?"_

Three wasn't a mind reader, but she could tell from one look that at least one of Ilkani's hearts had stopped beating at the question.

The Octoling sitting beside her cleared her throat. She looked noticeably paler. _"...what did...what did that old man tell you, exactly?"_

Eight's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. _"...he told me my birthday, and that I kinda grew up with Benny, and that I was the youngest in my family. Youngest. Meaning there were people who were older in the family. Meaning I had several older siblings. He said he couldn't find out more than that. Did you know?"_ She questioned again.

Ilkani, still very pale, averted her gaze. _"...kinda? I mean, I-I never met them myself, so I didn't spend much time thinking about it. I...never thought to mention."_ She murmured.

Eight and Three both stared at her, incredulous. Three didn't believe her for even a second. Eight just sighed.

_"...well, it doesn't matter right now. We should probably get going."_ She murmured in return, walking past the two of them and towards the helicopter.

Ilkani stood up. Three did as well, and before the Octoling could take a single step, she grasped her wrist tightly.

She whipped her head around, gaze full of indignation and mild panic.

Three leered. "You'd better not be lying to her. So help me if you are." She spat out in a harsh whisper.

Ilkani scoffed, forcefully withdrawing her hand. _"I'm not. And if I was, it'd be none of your business. Ever consider maybe that there's things she might not want to know?"_ She retorted.

The Inkling's glare was ice cold. "I'm serious. You-"

"Hey, are you guys coming?" Eight called back to them from the helicopter.

"Y-yeah! Be right there!" Three called back, before sending one last bitter look in Ilkani's direction. "This conversation isn't over."

Ilkani, crossing her arms, walked away. _"Not your call, war criminal."_

Three followed her, fists clenched.

The helicopter took off soon after. The search was about to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updating again! We're close-ish to the end of this installment I think! Maybe! Not sure! Hope you guys are enjoying so far!
> 
> Comments make me *heart eyes*


	28. At long last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A search is had, and concluded

_"Beeeennnnyyyyyy!"_ Eight called out, hands cupped around her mouth. _"Are you out here?!"_

Ilkani lifted a branch and peered under it, scanning the undergrowth for any signs of ink. She called out for the Octocopter as well.

Across the clearing, Three scoured the area, and then turned to look back at where the hole had once been. She didn't suggest the possibility out loud that Benny might've met the same fate they had.

_"Benny!!"_ Eight called again. _"It's me!! Are you there?!"_

Ilkani let out a sigh. There wasn't a hint of pink ink anywhere. Benny hadn't been here recently, if at all. She turned to Eight. _"We need to look somewhere else, Eight. He's clearly not here. Maybe a bit towards the coast, like you'd said before?"_

Eight whipped around to face her, hands trembling for a moment, then letting out a small sigh. _"Right, yes, right, of course."_ She took a deep breath. _"Right...good idea."_

The other Octoling regarded her with cautious concern. _"....it was your idea."_

Eight took another deep breath. _"Y-yeah, I know, let's just......yeah."_ She turned away again and left Ilkani's sight.

The Octoling gave a little warble in Three's direction, a 'this way' sound Octavio had taught her. It had the desired effect, and Three soon joined Ilkani at her side. Both of them had their arms crossed.

"Search moving on?" The Inkling inquired.

The other nodded. _"She's starting to stress herself out."_ She commented.

"I can imagine."

_"You don't need to imagine. It's very much happening."_

"No, I mean- ugh, whatever. Let's go." Three shook her head and followed after her girlfriend, Ilkani right behind her.

Eight was scanning the treetops, movements and voice growing frantic. _"Benny! Benny!! Are you here somewhere Benny?!"_ She called.

Three felt herself growing increasingly concerned. She jogged a bit to catch up and put a hand on Eight's arm.

The Octoling jumped in alarm before realizing who it was that had touched her. Her eyes clouded with guilt at her own reaction.

Three regarded her with even more concern. "...Eight, you're _shaking_." She said quietly.

Eight looked down at her hands and saw that she was right. She closed her eyes a took in a shuddering breath. "I....guess I am." She murmured.

Three took her hands in her own. "I know you're scared, but I'm starting to get worried about you. You're sending yourself into a panic."

Eight took in another deep breath, hands clutching her girlfriend's tight. "Y-yeah, you...you're probably right. But..." she opened her eyes again, and they glistened with the threat of tears. "What if...what if we _don't_ find him? What am I supposed to do?"

Three looked down. She didn't really have a good answer to that. "...I don't know, Eight. I wish I did, but I don't."

She let out a shaky sigh at that. "....I'm not wrong to be worried, am I?" She whispered.

The Inkling gave her a sympathetic look. "Of course not. It's been....how long now?"

"About....about nine months, I think."

"It makes sense you'd be worried, Eight. That's a really long time. But..." She gave a sigh of her own. "Please, don't start grieving when you don't even know if he's dead. It won't do you any good."

Eight gave a tiny, barely noticeable laugh at that. "H-how do you always know what to say?"

Just from that tiny sound, Three already felt herself put at ease. "I definitely _don't_ always know, though." She replied, the corners of her mouth raising ever-so-slightly to form an amused smile.

"Yes you do. You always know how to make me feel better when it matters." She closed her eyes one more time, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly before opening them again. She looked determined. "You help me _see_ when I need it. I'm...really glad you came along."

Three withdrew one hand so she could rub the back of her head. "I'm glad I came. You...wanna get back to looking?"

_"Hey, guys?"_

Eight gave a determined nod, remaining hand still firmly clutched in Three's. "I know we'll find him. And...if we don't...we'll deal with it then, instead of now."

_"Guys, over here."_

Three smiled down at her. "Everything will be just fine, I'm sure of it."

_"Hey! Lovebirds!! I found something!!_ " Ilkani yelled, finally managing to get their attention.

Three squinted. "Did...she just call us birds?"

"N-no, she said lovebirds." Eight corrected with a pout. _"S-sorry, what did you find?"_

Ilkani, rolling her eyes dramatically, pulled back a branch and pointed at the ground. There was ink there, but it wasn't Octarian pink. It was _dark green_.

Eight's eyes widened. _"That's...what does that mean, then?"_ She inquired softly.

Ilkani bent down, dragging a finger through the ink with a slight wince. She lifted her finger to her nose and sniffed, immediately grimacing at the smell.

_"Ilkani?"_

_"Salmonid...ink, I suppose you could call it. It's not ink, it's....something."_ She replied, wiping her finger on a leaf. _"It reeks."_

_"Does that mean there's been a Salmonid nearby?"_ Eight inquired. _"There was supposed to be a settlement off the cliff side."_

Three gave a hum of thought. "But why would a _fish_ come up the mountain?" She asked. "Can't imagine climbing is easy when you're a Salmonid. Though I do remember them being good at jumping from my last Salmon Run..."

_"Who cares how jumpy they are. It's not Benny's ink."_ Ilkani retorted, letting go of the branch and moving on. _"Which means he's probably not in this forest. If there's a Salmonid here, then I doubt he stuck around."_

Eight gently removed her hand from Three's, making to follow Ilkani, but didn't get even three steps before Ilkani stopped again, staring at the ground.

And Eight didn't even have a chance to ask before she spoke up again. _"There's. There's more Salmonid goo."_ She deadpanned.

Eight looked down at it as well. It streaked in a direction, and then there was a spot in the shape of a fish tail, as if it had been slapped against the ground. The Octoling frowned. _"It's not Benny, but...it's certainly_ a _trail."_ She mused. _"Do you think we should follow it?"_

Ilkani brought a hand to her chin. _"I'm not really worried about a Salmonid causing us any serious harm, so I don't see why not."_ She replied. She patted the Octoshot in a holster at her hip. _"Worst case scenario, we have someone to interrogate."_

Eight gave a firm nod as Three rejoined her at her side. She turned to the Inkling for a moment. "Did you get all of that?" She asked.

Three nodded. "Salmonid trail. Better than nothing." She replied.

"Ok, just checking." She turned back to Ilkani, and the three of them began moving forward once more.

Eight called out Benny's name a few more times in between glances at the ground as they followed the trail of green. It was splotch after splotch, and the fact that it was still there meant it had to be fairly recent. Salmonid 'ink' may break down differently than a cephalopod's, but it didn't linger forever.

Ilkani stopped again, and the trio's eyes collectively followed the path the trail led. It led to a large tree...and then it went _up_. Branches dripped the inky substance, and it went up, up, up until...they saw who'd left it.

There was...there was a Salmonid in the tree. Just a whole fish. There was a _fish_ in the _tree_ , and it appeared to be leering at them.

They all stared for a good minute, because _really_ it was just a ridiculous sight, and then Ilkani's hand went to her weapon.

The Salmonid growled. _"Why yelling friend name?"_ Hehissed in broken Octarian.

Eight squinted, and then let out a gasp of realization. She smacked Ilkani's hand away from the weapon. _"You...! You know Benny?!"_ She asked, a wide grin slowly taking hold on her face.

The Salmonid nodded, angry look not fading one bit. _"Friend Benny is friend! Why yell for?!"_

Eight took a step closer to the tree, craning her neck to continue to stare at the fish. _"I'm his friend too!! I've been looking for him, is he ok?!"_

The Salmonid blinked, and then gave a scoff. _"Friend fine. Wait long time, why take long? Make friend Benny worry."_ He retorted.

The Octoling flinched. _"...I'm sorry. It's...a long story, but I'm here now. P-please, take us to him. Please."_

The Salmonid's gaze was suspicious as he scanned over the trio. _"...friend not say_ three _, say_ one _friend missing. Why three of-"_ His eyes went wide as saucers as his regard landed squarely on Three. He bore his teeth, hastily yet carefully descending the tree one branch at a time, and then scurried forward with startling haste to angrily point at the Inkling with his fin. _"EGG TAKER!!!"_ He shrieked. _"EGG TAKER NOT WELCOME!!!"_

Three stumbled back at the volume and high pitch of the furious Salmonid. "I...uh..." She mumbled, unsure of what to say or if the fish would understand her anyway. _"I...did not take yours?"_ She offered in Octarian, raising her hands defensively.

Eight cautiously put herself between them, fixing the Salmonid with a pleading expression. _"She's with me. She didn't know Benny, but I know her. Please, I need to see him again. I didn't come all this way to-"_

The Snatcher let out another hiss, this time sending the glare the Octoling's way. _"Not put egg taker near friend!! Hurt friend AND take Deco egg!!"_ He snapped. _"Bad idea!! Squid danger!!"_

_"What if..."_ Eight began, sending a pitiful look back towards Three for a moment. When she looked back at the Salmonid, it was with the same pleading eyes as before. _"What if she stayed here and we went to him without her?"_ She suggested.

Three's eyes widened slightly, but she offered no protest.

The Salmonid seemed to consider this. _"Hrn...maybe work, but..."_ He made a gesture towards Ilkani. _"Who other? Friend Benny say miss one friend. Not two friend."_

Ilkani crossed her arms. _"Let's say I'm an older friend of his, fish. He'll recognize me, but he probably doesn't miss me as much, that's why he didn't mention me."_

The fish bore his fangs at the Octoling's tone. _"...Deco not like other friend."_ He eyed her weapon, leering some more. _"Think sneaky, shoot Deco when not look. Not come with, not trust."_

Eight tried once again to mediate. _"What if she put the weapon down? Could she come with then? Or would you still not trust her?"_ She offered.

Ilkani gave her a mildly concerned look, but she didn't outwardly protest either.

The Salmonid's narrow eyes narrowed further. _"Hrng.........."_ He growled, seemingly deep in thought.

Ilkani stared at him for a moment, and then let out an exasperated sigh. _"You know what, I'll just stay here. It's fine."_ She proclaimed in slight frustration.

The Salmonid's expression returned to normal perturbed from extra perturbed, and he gave a nod and turned to slink away. _"Come with, take to Benny."_

Eight turned back to Ilkani with worry. _"Are you sure?"_

She shrugged in response. _"No, but it'll be over with sooner if I don't argue. Plus, I know you can defend yourself. If there were more Salmonids than just that guy, we'd've probably seen more ink."_ She met Eight's gaze and gave a weak smile. _"Bring him back, Eight."_

She drew in a deep breath. Braced herself, let it out. She clenched her fists. Yeah, she was ready.

She ran off to follow the Salmonid.

Three and Ilkani watched her go, looking worried and hopeful in equal measure.

* * *

The Salmonid hadn't gotten very far. Eight's paced slowed once she reached his side, and they moved in slow tandem, considering he more or less slithered with his lack of legs.

Eight rubbed her arms awkwardly. She could only assume Benny was fine considering the Salmonid's lack of urgency, but it still left a lull in what would otherwise be a delightful woodland stroll. She didn't know this guy. Strangers still made her nervous, even after all this time.

She cleared her throat. _"So..."_ She began, trying to think of something to say to pass the time. _"Why were you...in a tree, exactly?"_ She eventually settled on.

The Salmonid glanced at her sideways.

Eight averted her gaze. _"N...never mind."_

He sighed in response. _"Good spot for Deco look-out. High up, see lots. Watch for danger, protect Benny."_ He said, tone even but response short, and he had looked away from her by now in favor of staring straight ahead.

The Octoling didn't respond for a moment. She wanted to ask about Benny, but...something told her it'd be better to wait. It would probably be more productive to just ask Benny himself once they got to him, after all.

And...even then...she was nervous. Ridiculously so. What if she wasn't like he remembered? What if after all this time, he didn't recognize her? Or worse, what if _she_ didn't recognize _him_? The last time they'd seen each other was when she still had all her memories; by all accounts, she was a different person. By all accounts, _this was going to be her first time meeting him._

She gave a sharp intake of breath, and tried to put her worries out of her mind. It was like Three had said earlier: there was no good to come from mourning something when she didn't know if she'd really lost it. She didn't know if any of her anxiety was truthful; she could very well be working herself up for nothing.

It didn't make the trek any less nerve-wracking, though.

She walked the rest of the way in silence.

The Salmonid didn't say another word the whole time, either, so it was somewhat startling when he finally said, _"Here. Benny there."_

Eight jerked her head up, looking at the clearing in front of her. She didn't see Benny yet, so she took a moment to take stock of her surroundings.

There was another large tree, with a tiny, _tiny_ cabin attached to the front. Could it even be called that? It was clearly only one room. In front of it there was a pool of water in a crescent shape, tinted faintly green. There was a long line of what looked like fresh ink surrounding the space...but it looked like a different shade than the Salmonid ink they'd seen earlier. What did...

The Salmonid looked around for a brief moment before moving closer to the tiny wooden structure, hopping over the ink line. _"Friend Benny inside? Important thing, need see!"_ He called. There was something distinctly different about his tone now, but Eight would be hard-pressed to identify what it was.

There was a muffled sound from inside the structure, and Eight's hearts skipped a beat from sheer familiarity. _"Ah, one second, Deco."_ The voice called back, and something clenched in Eight's chest that made her want to cry on the spot.

Then the door opened. And it took everything in her to not start bawling.

There he was. In the flesh. _Alive_ and, as far as she could tell, no worse for wear. His mouth and the spots around his eyes weren't Octarian pink anymore, they were a very Salmonid-ish green, and his helmet had been replaced by a pot, but he was _there_. He was _ok_.

Her legs started to shake.

And Benny hadn't noticed her yet. _"What's going on, Deco? What's so important th-"_ His eyes just happened to glance up, and they met hers. And the rest of his question died in his throat.

Eight took in a shaky breath, but she didn't trust herself with words. She knew not what to say.

Benny didn't have that problem, it seemed. His face broke into a wide grin, and a disbelieving laugh escaped him. _"It's...it's you! Garra, it's really you!"_ He exclaimed, tears beginning to gather in his own eyes unabated.

Eight took a tiny step forward. Her chest was so _tight_ , she was trying so hard not to cry, why did that matter so much to her all of a sudden-

Benny saw the step, and closed the distance for her. He ran, leaped over the water, and tackled her with an exuberance that somehow felt exactly how she thought it would. He laughed again, burying his face in her stomach. _"Garra, Garra I thought you were dead! But y-you're not!!"_

And the sentiment was so much like her own that it caught in her throat, and she fell to her knees and held him tight. Finally, finally she couldn't hold it in anymore and she cried, fat tears falling onto the pan.

Benny seemed almost surprised by her outburst for a moment, but instead of saying anything, he just nestled himself into her further. _"Y-you're ok...and I am too...everything's fine, Garra._ We're _fine."_

It was the strangest thing, when she thought about it. Normally she winced or cringed when people said her old name, but...there was such a fondness and familiarity behind the way he said it that she couldn't find it in herself to correct him. At least not in that moment. So she just held him tighter.

_"I-I, I thought you, I thought I'd never, never_ see _you again, Benny..."_ She wept.

Benny gave a soft laugh. _"You can't lose me that easily. I'm...I stick around. Though I did get scared a little when my helmet broke...but I'm fine! You protected me, and then Deco did!"_

Eight took a deep breath, and finally pulled away. She eyed the Salmonid, who was idling by the tree with a golden ball in his fins. She sniffed. _"...is that Deco? I...never got around to asking his name."_ She did recall him referring to himself in third-person, though, now that she thought about it.

The Salmonid nodded. _"Deco glad Benny friend finally find. Benny...deserve good friend."_ He trailed off, averting his gaze.

Benny turned around a bit. _"C'mon, Deco! You're a good friend too!"_ He replied, his tone very soft. But honestly Eight couldn't remember a time when it _wasn't_ soft in some capacity.

Deco gave a sheepish nod. _"Ye, but deserve lots of good friend! Lots of good friend for good friend!"_ He shouted in response.

Eight took another deep breath. Addressed Deco again. _"Th...thank you for protecting him. I...don't know what to say."_ She said quietly. She had not the words for how relieved she was.

Deco shrugged. _"Protect friend. Least could do. Benny say you protect too."_ He replied nonchalantly.

At which point Benny turned back to Eight with concern in his eyes. _"Speaking of...where'd you go? What happened? You were gone for so long, I was starting to get really worried!"_ His face got closer. _"Did you win the fight with the Inkling?!"_

Eight took a deep breath. This was the hard part. She'd been dreading this. _"Well, funny, not funny at all story...I fell in the hole. I don't...remember if I won, and I've been living with Marina Ida this whole time."_ She gave a sheepish smile, and it was half-forced, if only because she had no idea how any of that would come across to Benny. At least the last one was somewhat reassuring, she hoped.

Benny's expression shifted, and cycled through a series of emotions. It was clear to Eight that he was trying to figure out which part to question first. _"...uh..."_

The Octoling gave an embarrassed laugh. _"Y-yeah, the whole story is really long and complicated and depressing, honestly. But...I'm fine now."_

Benny smiled at that, and looked down for a moment, finally seeming to decide on a question to ask. " _That's good at least, but...what do you mean you...don't remember if you won?"_

She took another deep breath. _"I...I have amnesia."_

Benny blinked, just staring at her in disbelief for a moment, and then he paled. _"You...what? When..."_

_"When I fell in the hole."_ She replied, eyes sad. _"It's been a while, and I've kind of...reinvented myself in that time, I guess you could say?"_ She gave a weak laugh.

His eyes looked like they were watering anew. _"Y-you...you remember me though, right?"_ His voice wavered as he spoke, as if he was afraid of the answer.

Her response was to pull him into another fierce hug. _"Of course I do! I didn't ever get all my memories back, but aside from Ilkani, you are the only person I remembered. It's...the hope that I might find you again, it's...really kept me going, all this time."_

Benny gave a tearful laugh again, nuzzling close to her. _"W-well, I'm just glad you're finally here! This whole time, this whole time, I...I had no idea what'd happened to you, but...but I knew you were strong enough to beat anything that came your way, I just knew you had to be alive!"_ He pulled away from her again, beaming into her with the warmth of a thousand suns. _"And now we can catch up! We've got all the time in the world now!"_ He cheered.

Eight let out a sigh at that. Honestly, she'd love to spend the day killing time and learning about Benny again, and maybe herself again, but she didn't want to keep Ilkani and Three waiting too long, lest they begin to worry.

But at the same time, she didn't quite know how to _casually_ mention 'oh yeah by the way you know that Inkling that tried to kill me? I'm dating her now' without sending Benny into a confused panic, so perhaps it wouldn't hurt to sit and chat for a while.

_"Yeah, I guess we do have time, huh?"_ She replied, glancing around at the area again. The tiny baby cabin, the moat, the ink line. _"You've got a neat little setup out here. Have you been here the whole time?"_

Benny shook his head. _"No, me and Deco lived down in the village for a while, but then a..."_ He looked down, looked back at Deco, and the pair of them grimaced. _"...a thing...happened, and we decided to move up here. We've been here...has it been three months, Deco?"_ He inquired, gesturing with his head for the Salmonid to come closer.

Deco did come closer, albeit a bit reluctantly. _"Ye, three month. Long time for wild-er-ness survive."_

Benny beamed at him before turning back to Eight. _"Yeah, it's...been a bit rough, but we're managing! Almost better than me and you managed before you...you know."_

She gave a meek laugh. _"I really_ don't _know. I know I fell, but I don't even remember the fall, if I'm being honest."_ She admitted.

Benny pouted. _"Aw, well that sucks. Did the Inkling fall too? Or did she get away?"_

Eight gave another nervous laugh. _"Y-yeah, I guess she fell too, but she didn't lose her memories like I did."_

The Octocopter squinted. _"How do you know that? Did you fight her again?!"_

Another sheepish laugh. _"I...yeah, technically."_

_"Did-"_

Deco cleared his throat. _"What do now? Friend find Benny, what do now?"_ He cut them off, squinting. His tone hard for the Octoling to read.

Benny's eyes sparkled. _"Oh yeah! What are..."_ Just as quickly, his eager look faded as he seemed to realize something. _"The cabin isn't nearly big enough for the two of us..."_

Eight coughed. _"I was thinking you could come back with me? I live in a_ giant _house now. Like,_ excessively _big. You wouldn't believe me unless you saw it."_

His expression clouded for a moment, as if he was dissecting the statement piece by piece. Eventually he looked up, disbelief in his eyes. _"You mean...leave here? Where do you live?"_

She looked away from him. _"Um...Inkopolis?"_

His eyes bulged. _"With Inklings?! Isn't that, like, really not safe?!"_

She swiftly raised her hands in a calming motion. _"N-no, not at all! No one even gives me a second look! Most Inklings didn't even know they were at war!"_

He looked for a moment like he didn't believe her, but then he sighed. _"I...I'll take your word for it. You're the one who's lived there, I guess. But..."_ He looked back at Deco again, who was remaining eerily quiet. _"I'm...not sure I_ want _to leave..."_ He trailed off, looking conflicted.

Eight's eyebrows bunched together in confusion. _"...why? I thought you said it was rough, living out here."_

He grimaced. _"I-I mean, yeah, I'd like to stop living in the woods and maybe eat something that isn't berries but...but..."_ His gaze once more locked onto Deco, and he then took a step away from Eight. _"I...can't leave Deco."_

Eight's eyes slowly widened. _"You...what?"_

He swallowed thickly. _"I can't leave Deco."_ He repeated, trying his best to look unwavering and confident. It didn't really work.

Eight tried to think of a response, but found she couldn't. There was a feeling in her chest, and it might've been betrayal, but she refused to acknowledge it. Benny...wasn't hers, he could make his own decisions, but the idea that she'd spent all this time trying to find him only to have to let him go made her hearts threaten to break. _"But...I..."_

Benny swallowed again. _"I-I mean, you could always visit! I doubt we're going anywhere anytime soon!"_ He offered, but his own eyes were starting to water. Like he hated the idea of separating just as much as she did.

Eight shook her head. _"I had to take a helicopter to come out here! That's...not easy at all! I can't do that every time I want to see you!"_ She exclaimed, beginning to cry as well.

Benny sniffled. _"Garra, I...! I can't choose between you both!! I don't want to!! You're both my best friends!!"_ He cried, starting to shake.

_"Benny."_

The Octarian looked up to see that Deco had finally spoken up. _"H-huh?"_

Deco closed his eyes, and then gave Benny the most earnest smile the Octarian had ever seen. _"Other friend make Benny happy?"_

_"Y-yeah, yeah she does."_

_"Then go with friend."_ He spoke softly, with such care that Eight honestly wouldn't have expected out of him from their interactions so far. _"Friend Benny deserve...happiness. Friend give Benny happy time, deserve after long wait. Deco...glad meet Benny."_

Instead of reassuring Benny in the slightest, this only served to make the Octarian more distressed. _"N-no!!! That'd be, that'd be choosing her over you!!"_ He closed the distance between them, pressing his face into Deco's chest now. _"Y-you make me happy too!!"_

_"Deco fine if-"_

_"No!"_ Benny cut him off, tears streaming down his cheeks. _"I won't leave you! I refuse to! I am not going to let you be alone, not again! You don't deserve to be alone!"_

And as Eight watched, she could hear the conflict in his tone. And she realized how hurt they'd both feel by either choice.

The words tumbled out before she had a chance to stop them. _"What if you both came with me?"_

Benny looked up at her with a start. _"Wh-what?"_

Eight knew that it wasn't at all what Pearl had agreed to. She knew that perfectly well. But at this point, there was desperation in her heart and she felt she needed to try. _"What if...both of you came with me? Would...would that...work?"_

Benny continued to shake. _"I-I mean, I'd give anything to stay with you both, but..."_ He looked up at Deco with concern. _"Would..._ you _be comfortable? With that?"_

Deco looked conflicted. _"Hrn...maybe if..."_ Deco leaned down and whispered something to Benny, whose eyes widened.

Then he turned to Eight again. _"Uh, unrelated, but does it ever get foggy where you live?"_ He inquired.

Eight tilted her head to the side. _"I can't remember it ever getting foggy in the city, no. It rains sometimes, but in the months I've been there there's never been fog."_

Deco gave something almost like a smirk. _"Then...Deco try. Deco...happy if go with friend Benny."_

Benny beamed. _"Are you sure? Because I'd understand if you're not, you know?"_

Deco rolled his eyes. _"Deco not scared of squid. Fight off other_ Goldie _, not scared of squid."_

Eight made a nervous sound. _"Y-you probably won't have to fight anyone. You can...live in the house with us! Pearl and Marina would never hurt you if I ask them not to, so you won't need to fight anyone!"_ That was, of course, assuming the two of them didn't veto the idea of a Salmonid living with them _immediately_. That was a definite possibility, but she kept it to herself.

Benny looked between his two friends, and his grin grew. _"Then...! What are we waiting for?!"_ He cheered. _"I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready right now! I've got everything I need right here!"_ He gave a tiny hop, causing the pot to lift off his head a fraction. _"You need anything but the egg, Deco?"_

Deco turned his gaze in the direction of the village, giving another light frown. _"...no, not need anything. Egg all."_ He replied.

Benny scampered forward, in the direction Eight had come in, and beamed his brightest smile yet. _"Then let's go, guys!!"_

Deco and Eight locked eyes for a moment, and then came to a silent understanding; they were so very lucky to have Benny.

* * *

"Could you repeat that? I genuinely didn't catch it."

Ilkani gave an exasperated sigh. _"I said...fair warning to you, ahead of time. You're underestimating how close the two of them are...were, whatever, you know what I mean."_

Three raised a perplexed eyebrow. "I'm...underestimating? What's that supposed to mean?"

_"I mean...when I first met them, I was taken aback by how close they were. And...when we were dating, she still seemed closer to him than to me."_ She closed her eyes. _"I'm not saying that to incriminate either of them for anything, don't take this the wrong way, I just don't want you to be surprised. They just...have a very close relationship. It's not romantic at all, it's just...them. They've always been like that."_ She rubbed her arm. _"She was willing to leave_ me _behind to run away with him after that concert..."_ She added.

Three mulled it over for a moment, and then smiled. "There's nothing wrong with that. I'm not the type of person to feel threatened by a close friendship. I'm just happy that she found him again. If he makes her happy, then that's just more for her, not less for me."

Ilkani scoffed. _"Where'd you get that dumb line? Acting all sagely like you're the queen of relationships."_

The Inkling rolled her eyes. "I just said a statement. I'm _literally_ not bragging in the slightest."

_"Well forgive me if-"_ She stopped mid-sentence, and jolted up. _"There they are."_

Three stood as well, watching with intrigue as they came into view. Eight, laughing amicably to the Octarian by her side, and behind the both of them...the Salmonid from before.

The Octarian looked up, beaming as he caught sight of Ilkani. _"Ilkani! What are-"_ The rest of his sentence fled him as he caught sight of Three. He stopped dead. _"G-Garra, that's..."_

Eight put a hand on the pot. _"Don't worry, it's fine. She's nice!"_

He stared up at her in disbelief. _"She tried to kill you."_

_"Well we're past that phase now!"_ She proclaimed with finality, dashing over to Three's side. "Three, meet Benny!" She beckoned Benny over with a bright smile. _"Benny, meet Three."_

Benny took a hesitant step forward. Behind them, Deco gave a low growl. The Octarian gave him a reassuring look, and turned back to the Inkling. _"U-um, hi? You're, uh, you probably can't understand me, huh? It's, um, n-nice to meet you, I guess!"_

Three cleared her throat. _"My Octarian...is not good. But, meeting you...nice, too."_ She greeted, a nervous look on her face.

Benny's eyes widened a little. _"Oh. Uh, cool."_

Deco swiftly joined the group more fully, shielding his egg in his arms and glaring at them all, but not saying anything.

Ilkani decided to address it. _"Um, what's he doing here, exactly?"_

Eight gave a nervous chuckle. _"He's, well, uh...he's coming with us! Yaaaay..."_ She replied, clapping her hands together.

Three's eyes bulged. "I'm sorry, what?!"

The Octoling gave a dismissive wave, looking anywhere but Three's face. "It's fine, we're all fine, nothing bad will come of this, let's go!!" She said quickly, and began to speed-walk in the direction of the helicopter.

Benny was hot on her heels, and Deco on his.

Three and Ilkani shared a look of concern. There was nothing more to say, it seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, longest chapter to date! But it's been one I've been itching to get to for a while, so here y'all go!! Enjoy!!!


	29. Concessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The slightly delayed aftermath of an impulse decision

Pearl drew in a breath. Brought her palms together. Stared at Eight like she had two heads.

"Eight...we love you." She began.

"We love you a whole lot." Marina added.

Eight averted her gaze.

Pearl breathed deeply for a moment and continued. "And you know that we trust you to make good decisions. And you're very good at it, for the record; you're good at keeping yourself safe."

"And were very proud of you for that!" Marina added again.

Eight was bracing herself, not risking saying anything yet.

Pearl opened her mouth to continue, then promptly closed it with a frustrated sound in its place. 

Then, she gestured to the slightly ajar bathroom door. Within, Deco was swishing his tail about in the full bathtub, chattering to Benny about warm water and clear air. Benny laughed in turn.

And Pearl was still staring at Eight incredulously. "Just, please, _explain_ to me, Eight. There's a _Salmonid_ in my bathroom." She spoke, tone very clearly communicating how absurd the situation was without having to explicitly say so.

Eight rubbed her arm. "I-I know, I just...we were both kinda panicking and he didn't want to come with me unless I brought the Salmonid too and I was just...I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry, Pearl. I'm sorry Marina."

Marina sighed, turning sideways towards Pearl. "Sorry is all well and good, and I understand that the situation was likely emotionally charged, but..."

Pearl threw her hands up in slight exasperation. "I agreed to letting your friend stay here! I didn't agree to harboring a much less _ambiguously_ illegal fugitive fish!!" She shouted.

Eight flinched at the tone, and Pearl instantly put her hands back down. "I'm sorry for yelling, I just... _Eight_. This is dangerous and definitely against the law."

The Octoling looked confused and alarmed. "Wait...it...it is?"

Marina sighed. "Contact with Salmonids in general _is_ illegal, yes. Grizzco is a bit of a strange case, but they've got far too many lawyers to _need_ to worry. The rich need not show concern for the law, apparently." She grumbled.

Eight blinked and looked back at Pearl. "But...you're rich too...?" She questioned, confused.

Pearl gave an exaggerated sigh. "Well _yeah_ , but I'm not making an effort to abuse it! Just because I can buy my way out of trouble doesn't mean I want to be _inviting_ legal trouble whenever I can!" The Inkling took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and pinned Eight with a look. "Seriously Eight, what's your game plan? What do you expect to happen from here?"

The Octoling rubbed her hands together, and paused to listen again to the pair of friends in the bathroom. She could hear Benny offering Deco words of assurance now, and Deco grumbled back. Seemed they could hear the conversation from in there. Not that either of them could understand it, most likely, because they were speaking in Inkling, but the tones likely made it clear what kind of discussion it was.

Eight considered her words carefully. "I...well I figured...Benny probably wouldn't leave the house much, right? If at all? If anyone were to see him, they'd know he wasn't an Inkling right away. Most Octarians don't blend in with Inklings, and that's why all the ones that were freed stayed on the mountain...and ended up..." Her thoughts drifted to Kamabo for a moment, and she shook her head to clear it. "S-so, I figured, if Benny wasn't going to leave the house, then it was safe for him to be in here, and no one would know any better, right? So, uh, you know, wouldn't the same be true for Deco? If he stays in the house? N-no one would know any better..."

Pearl stared at Eight for a moment, turned to stare sideways at the bathroom door, and then drug a hand down her face with a groan.

Eight flinched again. "I-I'm sorry."

Pearl took a deep breath, another one. Marina reached out and held her hand. She seemed to calm down immediately. Another deep breath...

"Eight."

The Octoling tensed. "Y...yes?"

"You're...probably not wrong. For the most part." She began, brow furrowed. "But that still leaves one issue. Because even if the only people who'd see him are people that live here...and I can _buy_ people's silence easy enough..."

Eight leaned forward tentatively. "...yeah...?"

"That still leaves the issue...of the fact...that I _don't want him here_ , Eight." She concludes pointedly. "And maybe that's my problem to deal with, but like, this is my _house_ , and he's gonna _goop up_ the floor, and maybe the only times I've seen Salmonids are when they're tryna kill me, but it doesn't paint the picture of someone who's civilized."

_"U-um, excuse me?"_ A voice interjected.

The three of them turned down to see Benny poking his head out of the door, looking rather sheepish. The Octocopter's gaze shifted from Eight, to Marina, before finally landing on Pearl. He looked terrified of her.

_"Um, uh, Garra, she's the one in charge here, right? Or, or is it Miss Marina??"_ He stammered, swiftly returning his gaze to his friend.

Pearl rolled her eyes. _"I know Octarian, little guy, you can just talk to me straight. Did you need something?"_ She said in Octarian, to prove her point.

Benny's regard whipped back to her with a start. _"O-oh! Sorry, I-I, I didn't know!"_ He made an effort to stand up a bit straighter, to make himself look bigger even though he was only a little shorter than Pearl was already. _"D-Deco wanted a towel. He said he didn't think you'd want the floor to get wet, s-since this whole place was so dry."_

Pearl blinked in surprise. _"...really?"_

Benny stared back at her, hoping he looked confident. _"Y-yeah, really? D...do you know where I can get him a towel...?"_

Pearl shook her head aggressively. _"Y...yeah, right, of course I do, just..."_ She sighed again and pushed the door open. _"They're in the closet here."_

Benny swiftly stepped back, giving Pearl space to do her thing. His lips were shut tight and he still looked rather intimidated.

Eight peered in through the open doorway so she could get a good look at her friend's friend. Deco had his chin resting on the edge of the tub and was sending a hard-to-read look Pearl's way. Perhaps he was mad? Or impatient? It wasn't a happy look, whatever it was.

Pearl tossed the towel towards Benny, who rushed forward to catch it on his head. Luckily his pot was already resting on the counter.

He waddled back, vision somewhat obstructed by the towel draped over his head, towards the tub and leaned forward so Deco could take it.

Deco sank a bit back into the water. _"Hrn...mat on floor...for stand, yes? For get wet?"_ He asked.

No one said anything for a moment, and then it occurred to Pearl that _she_ was the one being addressed. _"Oh, uh, yeah. You can stand on it."_

Deco gave a sigh, and heaved himself out of the water. _"Benny move, please. Not want get friend wet."_ He asked. The Octarian complied.

Eight continued to observe from afar. She could see from the door that the bath water had been tinted a faint green after Deco's bath, and also that Deco hadn't bothered removing his...pants? Could they be called pants if he had no legs? Whatever they were, he'd kept them on while he'd soaked. He'd also brought his golden ball into the bath with him, and set it gently on the bath mat beside him after he settled on it.

Deco, after coming to a rest on the mat, took the towel from Benny and began to dry his scales.

Then he paused, glanced up at Pearl, and glared. _".......leave Deco be. Not like egg taker stare."_ He grumbled.

Pearl stared a moment longer, flabbergasted. "..." She looked like she wanted to comment, but didn't. She left the bathroom without saying anything, gently closing the door behind her.

Eight regarded Pearl with confusion. Marina did as well. "Is...something the matter, Pearlie? You look...perturbed." The older Octoling commented.

The Inkling's brow was furrowed intensely. "I'm not, it's just....it just throws me off to be immediately proven wrong ten seconds after making a statement." She replied.

Eight's eyebrows arched. "Wait, does this mean...?"

Pearl rolled her eyes with another sigh. "I mean, if he knows how to live in a house and be...I dunno, considerate and stuff, that's one problem that I wouldn't have to worry about. Maybe...maybe things will work out? I could always......hm. I could restrict him to one hall or something? Give him all the stuff he needs but also make it so he doesn't have free reign and access to all _my_ stuff." She concluded with a shrug. "I mean, this place is giant. I've got plenty of rooms I wasn't using anyway."

Eight's face slowly gave way to a giant grin. "Really?"

Pearl gave a shrug. "I mean, he shouted at me when he got here but aside from that he doesn't seem to _want_ to cause trouble for no reason. What was he like on the helicopter ride over here?"

"...quiet, actually." The Octoling replied after a moment of thought. "He stuck pretty close to Benny and didn't say much to anyone but him. Benny convinced him not to attack Inklings on sight, I think." Her brow furrowed. "At least...I'm pretty sure. He didn't try to snap at Three at any point and he didn't attack _you_ , so Deco must really care about what Benny thinks."

Pearl gave a sigh. "....if that's the case...then he shouldn't snap at the staff, I guess. But most of the staff aren't Inklings, so...hm. We'll just have to see, I guess." She shrugged.

Eight let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much, Pearl. I don't know what I was going to do if Benny left because Deco had to."

Marina smiled warmly. "Based on what I've seen...I don't think he'd choose him over you."

"I don't know...they're pretty close."

"And _you're_ still letting him call you your old name, so I think you two must've been even closer." She countered.

Eight didn't have a good response to that.

Something seemed to occur to Pearl in that moment, though. "Wait...does he not know about all the stuff you went through?"

Eight averted her gaze. "I...told him I fell in a hole. I didn't have much time to say anything _more_ on the ride back, and...I honestly don't know _how_ to say most of it."

Marina fixed her with a sympathetic frown. "Do you _want_ him to know? Because Pearlie and I could tell him if you're not comfortable talking about it."

The younger Octoling shook her head. "No...if he's going to find out, I want it to be from me. I'll...I will tell him, I just...need to figure out how."

Marina smiled. "I'm sure there's no need to rush, Eight. I haven't seen much of him yet, but I can already tell that he'd never begrudge you anything."

Pearl rolled her eyes. "Imma check and see if those two need anything."

She knocked on the door, and Deco peeked his head out with a hiss. She could faintly hear Benny attempting to placate him.

Eight could only sigh, and stick around just in case. This would surely take work, but Eight was confident that they'd-

_"Deco place now! Need water and water here nice!!"_

_"You'll get your own bathroom! Just not this one!!_

Eight sighed again. Lots of work indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is interesting because I feel like people expected things to go terribly but like...it's no fun to be predictable lol Pearl's living on the edge
> 
> Leave comments! Press the dopamine button!


	30. Rough night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tough discussion is made easier by good company

The right moment, blessedly, came sooner than Eight had been expecting.

It was early in the evening, a few days after Benny and Deco had first been brought to the mansion. Things were progressing about as well as one could hope, but it was slow going, mostly because the Salmonid didn't trust anyone in the mansion aside from Benny, and Benny was nervous around everyone aside from Marina and Eight.

Eight, for her part, was doing her best to act as a mediator. The staff had been briefed on the situation, and as far as she could tell, none of them seemed inclined to expose the fugitives. Pearl must've treated them well; not that that was much of a surprise to the Octoling.

That evening, things were beginning to wind down for the night. People were retiring, Eight had changed into pajamas, the house was quiet. It wasn't _quite_ night yet, but Eight liked to try and go to bed a bit early, just to make sure she got enough sleep.

She had just finished saying goodnight to Marina and Pearl, and was heading back to her room with the plan of occupying herself on her phone until she felt ready to sleep, when...

_"...Garra?"_

Eight turned around, the sound of his voice so new still, despite being so very familiar. And his eyes, too, were familiar; their gradient very unique compared to other Octarians, and even with his eye rings and lips changing to a Salmonid color, there was absolutely no mistaking that face. And when she met his gaze, it was...comforting, like they could do no wrong by each other if they tried.

She blinked. _"Benny?"_

He shuffled under her gaze, his stubby legs and feet now bootless, his head bare of any covering. She wondered if he felt naked without anything to protect himself with.

He kept his gaze away from her for a moment. _"I..."_ He took a deep breath inward and his eyes rose to meet hers. _"Can I stay...with you? F-for the night?"_

Eight's own eyes widened slightly. _"Sure. Is something wrong?"_

Benny shuffled his feet some more. _"N...no, it's just..."_ His gaze fell again. _"...I'm not quite...used to being here yet, and...being alone is making me a bit nervous."_

The Octoling's look softened into one of understanding. _"I was the same way for a little while. I don't mind at all."_

He exhaled in quiet relief. _"Thank you..."_

She beckoned for him to follow her, and together they made her way to her room. It was a quiet walk, neither of them saying anything, but it was as if there was nothing at all awkward about it; no need to fill that silence.

She pushed her door open for him when they got there, letting him in first. She could tell, even with his face turned away from her, that he was amazed by what he was seeing. He had very expressive body language, or perhaps she was just good at reading him.

_"Woah...and I thought my room was high-class!"_ He exclaimed, scampering in further to better gaze about.

Eight chuckled and closed the door behind them. _"Makes you realize how little they gave us in the barracks, huh?"_

Benny nodded, and approached one of her shelves. _"I thought about that back down in the Salmonid village...that there's a difference between a gift and a provision."_ He turned back to look at her, giving the tiniest of smiles. _"And if I think about it a bit harder...I think what I have right now was provided, because compared to mine this room is_ definitely _a gift."_ He commented, not accusatory in the slightest. Not even jealous, either.

The Octoling rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. _"Heh...yeah, you're probably right. They..._ _care about me a whole lot, in an almost...maternal way?_ _They always do what they can to make me feel as comfortable as possible. But, if they're not giving you as much cool stuff as me that's probably because they don't have it just...lying around. Also they're probably not as worried about you as they were me..."_

Benny's eyes crinkled in amusement. _"Yeah, cuz I'm just_ tough as nails _, right?"_ He stretched himself out, trying to look tall and intimidating.

Eight snorted. _"Definitely! The toughest Octocopter of all!"_

His serious pose deflated almost immediately, and he beamed at her.

She stretched and paced over to her bed. _"Anyway, you coming up? This thing is definitely big enough for the two of us."_

Benny nodded, backed up a bit, and gave a running start towards the bed. He did his best jump, but only ended up doubled over on the edge, uselessly flailing his legs about.

Eight chuckled at the sight and then helped him, pushing him up the rest of the way.

Benny, face in fabric, flipped himself over so he was sitting up. He kicked a foot downward against the blanket and grinned. _"Neato."_

Eight pulled herself up onto the bed as well, tucking her legs under herself, but not actually getting under the covers yet. _"...aside from feeling a bit nervous, how do you like it here so far?"_ She inquired.

Benny looked away a bit. _"Well...it's weird, not gonna lie. But everyone's been nice, and I haven't been attacked? So I can't really complain."_ His gaze returned to his friend, and his grin faltered a bit. _"Or, um, that's not true. I wish I could talk to people besides you, Deco, and Miss Pearl and Miss Marina. I_ could _complain about that, I guess."_

Eight frowned as well. _"It would be nice if everyone here spoke Octarian, yeah."_ She pondered for a moment, and then smiled. _"Oh! We could always teach you Inkling! I learned how, and so could you!"_

Benny's eyes widened. _"Woah, you mean I could know three languages like you do? That would be so cool!"_ He beamed.

She stopped at that, blinking owlishly at him. _"Wait...three? I know three?"_

The Octocopter's smile faltered a bit again. _"...yeah? You know Octarian, Salmonid, and Inkling."_

Eight leaned forward suddenly, surprised. _"I know Salmonid?!"_

Benny was taken aback by the sudden movement. _"Y-yeah, you do? You're the one that taught_ me _how to understand it. You were gonna teach me to_ speak it _too, but then we had to run away..."_

She returned to her own bubble, bringing a hand to her forehead. _"I...thought_ everyone _knew what the Salmonids were saying in Salmon Run..."_ She murmured.

He frowned, worried now. _"I...keep forgetting you have amnesia. Is...how much_ do _you remember?"_

Eight gave a hollow laugh. _"I mean...not much really. There's a lot of stuff...a lot of it I haven't bothered trying to remember. I remember you, and Ilkani, and...bits and pieces of things, nothing concrete or well put together. Nothing in any big, chronological chunks."_

He looked back down, concern lining his expression. _"I...don't remember, did you tell me why? Was it because you fell in the hole?"_

Eight was silent.

He looked back up at her, and noticed she was hugging herself. _"...Garra?"_

Eight squeezed herself tighter. _"Benny...oh Benny it was_ terrible _."_

_"W-what was?"_

_"Everything that happened down there."_

Benny paused at that, seeing her expression. Cold dread, plain as day. Easy for him to interpret.

_"Do...you want to talk about it?"_ He offered after a moment. _"I'm happy to listen if you need to."_

Eight paused as well. _"I...don't know."_ She glanced at him sideways. " _Maybe I do. It's been so long, I thought...I thought I'd be over everything by now..."_

Benny scooted closer to her. _"Have you not told anyone about it before?"_

_"Well...I talked with Pearl and Marina but...they were there when it happened so I'm not sure that counts. I...haven't told anyone else about everything..."_ She replied. _'Not even Three knows the whole story...'_ She thought to herself.

Benny frowned, still for a moment as he assessed, and then leaned into her. _"I'll listen. You can tell me."_

Her eyes watered. _"You're sure?"_

_"What are friends for, Garra?"_

She gave a tiny laugh at that, and rubbed at her eyes. _"Ha...well, alright then."_ She wrapped her arms around him, giving him a quick squeeze, and then she put her hands in her lap. _"That's...well, maybe that's a good thing to lead with. I'm...not actually going by that name anymore."_

He blinked, and then his eyes widened. _"You're not...?"_

She shook her head. _"I...when I lost my memory, I got given a different name when I was down there. And by the time I got back up, and...by the time I found out what my name used to be...it didn't feel like me anymore. I told you when I found you, I've...kinda reinvented myself."_

Eight could practically see the gears turning in his head as he processed. _"Wait a minute...is_ that _why everyone keeps calling you 'Eight'? I was getting confused about that."_

She nodded. _"Yeah, it's...not much of a name, I'll admit, and whenever I think about_ where _it came from I get sad, but it's what I'm sticking with for now. I think I'll come up with something better later, but...for now it's Eight."_

He frowned. _"...I didn't know. I kept calling you Garra even though that's not who you are. I'm so sorry."_

Eight reached out and put a hand on his head. _"I'm not mad. Honestly, hearing you calling me that...is so far the only time it hasn't been uncomfortable."_ She explained.

He gave a weak smile and met her eyes. _"...well, I guess I'm glad you weren't uncomfortable, but I'm still gonna try and get your new name down. I want to call you the_ right _name."_

Eight's own look softened. _"Thanks, Benny. That means a lot."_

_"Yeah."_ He looked down again for a moment, and then met her eyes once more. _"What else...happened? Down there?"_

The Octoling took a moment, eyes closed, to compose herself. A part of her was worried, worried she would do a poor job of conveying what exactly upset her so much about the place. She knew he wouldn't judge her, she _knew_ it, but...a part of her still feared the worst.

But when she opened her eyes again, he was still looking at her, expression soft, features wrinkled in concern.

Her own concerns were swiftly put at ease. She took a deep breath, and began. " _...a lot of it was terrifying simply because I had no memory, I imagine. Everything was new, and unfamiliar, and at first I barely recognized_ myself _, even."_

Benny listened without interruption. He simply nodded in understanding.

She continued. _"I remember the first time I got on the metro. I'd been promised that I could get to 'the promised land' if I completed their tests. I figured that must've meant the surface, but...a part of me, even from the beginning, was_ scared _of that promise."_ She held herself. _"A part of my brain was_ screaming _at me, that surely this was a trick. Surely if they wanted to take me there, they could, and I didn't have to do anything, but there wasn't anything I could do. I barely had the nerve to speak at first, never mind ask questions of them."_

She took a deep breath. _"I couldn't do much of anything but do what I was told. And the first test...there...there were Octolings."_

Benny looked confused. _"Octolings?"_

Eight closed her eyes again. _"I didn't realize_ what _initially, but there was, there was something_ wrong _with them. They had green skin, and they were trying to kill me. They...something was very,_ very _wrong."_

She wrapped her arms around herself again. _"But there was nothing I could do but protect myself. And when they splatted, their voices...I could hear the pain. Like they couldn't communicate it until right then, as they died."_

The Octocopter shuddered.

_"I remember after that, after that was when Pearl and Marina showed up, over the Captain's communicator but, but they were speaking in Inkling, and I was hiding under the bench."_ Her eyes began to glisten at the memory. _"After what I'd done, I could do nothing but hide. I didn't know who I was yet but I_ felt _like a monster."_

_"...Eight..."_

_"I remember the first time I died down here."_ She spoke, shivering now. _"There were, there were spawn points down there. I felt like maybe I knew how they worked, but...but that didn't mean it didn't_ hurt _. And...the conductor."_ The memory of _him_ in particular shook her up even more. _"He...something was wrong with him too. Like he...like he didn't...he wasn't there. I don't..."_ She trailed off, unable to put into words what she felt, what she _thought_ in that moment.

Benny took a moment to scoot closer to her, continuing to offer silent support.

Eight gave a weak smile, took a steadying breath, and continued with a small measure more composure. _"Some of the tests...were easy. Just 'get to the goal' or 'splat all the enemies' or something. The enemies were always other Octarians, but after a while I forced myself to ignore it. All of their eyes were dead, they were all..."_ She shook her head, remembering what she was actually trying to lead into.

_"-but some, some of them, they...they were timed. Or I couldn't get hit. Or I had to do things in a very specific way or I...lost. If that happened, they, he had to force me to start over somehow, right?"_ She continued to shake. _"He...there was...something strapped to the ink tank they gave me. I didn't know what it was. I never thought to ask, not that I could. But...when I, when I f...didn't do something right, he...it was...it was a_ bomb _, Benny."_

It was clear on Benny's face that he was horrified. _"What?_ _?_ _"_

_"Every single test. There was a bomb on my back every single test."_ She said, voice beginning to grow cold and emotionless, like she was trying to block out the horror of it all. _"Even if there'd be no way to mess up without getting splatted normally, or falling, it was there. A warning. A_ threat _."_ She brought a hand to her face, feeling the tears that had begun falling a while ago. _"I have no idea how long I was down there, but half of that time was spent curled up under a bench on the metro, terrified, in Octo form."_

Benny shoved his face against what part of Eight he could reach, as much comfort he could give. _"Eight...I'm so so sorry."_ He murmured, quiet and with so much empathy it sounded like he'd burst.

Eight wrapped her arms around him, not stopping her tale for even this. _"T-to be fair, I hid_ whenever _something scared me. There were so many strangers riding that metro. I'd bump into someone by accident, and reflexively just...fall into Octopus form and hide under whatever was closest. Mr Cuttlefish held me so many times, all the times I cried he held me until I stopped and he was patient. I didn't know what family was but he was the closest thing I had."_

The Octocopter didn't say a word.

_"The only saving grace was that, bit by bit, doing the tests was helping get my memory back. But the pieces were so small, I barely even noticed until I had a small pile. I was still so...so_ scared _. Only after I got the first piece of the...thing they said would get me to the surface...only after that first piece did I have_ any _hope at all in me."_

She gripped him tighter. _"I think...it was around then that I really started talking to Pearl and Marina. Marina being an Octoling certainly helped, but Pearl spoke the language too, and she started to teach me Inkling as best as she could down there."_ She sighed a little. _"It was nice...to have someone else to hold onto, even if not physically. They...they helped me keep my sanity. But..."_

_"...but?"_ Benny inquired, quietly, gently.

_"But I was_ lied _to."_ She replied, voice growing cold again. _"I collected all the pieces, they got put together...and they made a giant_ blender _."_ She hissed the word, like speaking it aloud burned her tongue. _"But by then I'd...well, I remembered our Kettles, just enough to think that this was something like that: our Kettles weren't for making tea, so maybe this blender really_ was _a teleporter or something."_

Benny winced as her grip on him tightened a little bit.

_"But it_ wasn't _. It wasn't at all. I was lead in there to be_ killed _."_ She breathed. _"Me and Captain both. And in that moment, with the sound of the blades, and Marina and Pearl crying out for me, I really thought I was going to lose all I had. I had...I had so little. Everything had been taken from me; all I had was Captain Cuttlefish, and Marina, and Pearl, and my hope. And all of it was going to disappear, and my last moments would be fear, but, but then...but then..."_

She pulled Benny just a bit closer, and her grip loosened back to a gentle hold. _"That's...that's when Three showed up."_ She whispered.

Benny jolted a bit in surprise, but didn't make an attempt to free himself at all. _"Wait...Three?_ Agent _Three?"_

_"Yeah."_ She replied. _"I...didn't remember her, not really. Captain had told me we'd fought, before we fell, but...I didn't remember that. All I knew, in that moment, was that she was the only reason I didn't get killed in that blender. She_ saved _my life."_

_"Woah..."_ Benny whispered.

_"And...thanks to her, I had a bit of hope back, and for a moment, I felt that maybe I could do it. I...had to escape by myself, she knocked herself out when she saved us, I had to go through, without a real weapon, for a good while, and I hid from those_ wrong _Octarians. I was good at that, at least. Good at hiding by now."_

Benny gave a quiet, sad hum in response.

She took another steadying breath. _"...once, once I eventually found a weapon, it got a bit less terrifying, but...the spawn points didn't work anymore. Getting splatted hurt, but up until then I at least knew I could have a do-over. Not this time. This time I only had one chance. I couldn't stop, I couldn't stop at all, I had to keep moving, I was so close to getting out."_ Tears were still falling. _"The stress was beginning to get to me. So many times I was sure I was going to die, so many times. I used to have nightmares for a month after I got out that I'd fall, and they'd call for me and I wouldn't answer, and I'd never see the sun..."_

Her breath hitched. _"I, I got so far up, though. I was so close to the surface, I could practically feel it, and I got on an elevator, and I could stop and breath, and..."_ Her grip tightened once more. _"...and then I looked up, and...there was Three, with something on her face, and her_ eyes _were...they were like the Octarians I fought."_

Benny made a sound of confusion.

_"The...the Octarians I fought, they...the_ _ir_ _minds weren't theirs anymore."_ She attempted to explain. _"They were stripped of their free will, only able to do what the...the one behind it all told them to do. And he got Three, while she was unconscious."_

_"Oh no..."_

_"But...you know what's funny?"_ She asked, removing one of her arms from Benny so she could wipe at her eyes. _"After all that happened to me, you'd think I'd be scared of her_ _like that_ _, but...no. I wasn't. I was scared, sure, but not_ of _her._ For _her. It hurt, seeing her like that. She jumped down, attacked me, but...I wanted to help her. She saved me, and I wanted to save her. She...she deserved it, she was a hero. That's all I could think about. She gave me hope. And...I wanted to do the same for her."_

_"Heh."_

Eight pulled back a little so she could look Benny in the face. _"Huh? Is there...something funny about that?"_

He was smiling at her. Very warm. _"It's just...you said you reinvented yourself, but...hearing you say that? That's exactly what you were like before."_

Eight's eyes widened upon hearing that. _"...what? But...that can't be right, I...Ilkani, Octavio, they...made it sound like I was so different back then..."_

Benny gave a tiny little chuckle. " _You acted different around them. You made yourself seem larger than life, considering your station, but...we've known each other for so long, you never felt like you_ had _to with me, and I was always so grateful for that. You're still as brave and kind as I remember."_

The Octoling's eyes watered anew. _"Brave? I'm not, I'm not brave...not now."_

He laughed a bit louder this time. _"Yeah you are! You're_ so _brave!"_

She looked at him with very visible confusion, as tears streamed down her face. _"H...how?"_

His reply was to bury his face into her side again. _"You told me about what happened to you. It clearly hurts, but you told me anyway. That's the bravest thing anyone could do."_

Her breath hitched at that. She could barely move for a few seconds, just _processing_ that. But when she could, she wrapped her arms around him again and softly cried.

Benny did nothing but hum again. It was like he was used to this.

Eight picked up on it, and she sniffled. _"Did I used to tell you about my problems before?"_

He chuckled a little in reply. _"Of course you did._ _Honestly, most of our friends did_ _. I've been told I have a comforting presence."_

She gave a small laugh of her own. _"Understatement of the century,_ _pal_ _."_

He chuckled again. _"Nice of you to say. I may suck at fighting but I'm good with feelings. Not that that was much use when we were_ supposed _to be fighting but...you know."_

_"Yeah..."_

_"...do you feel better? Now that you've gotten that off your chest?"_

She hugged him a bit tighter. _"...I think so. Right now I feel just...empty. Like I've dumped it all out of me but now there's nothing there at all but...I don't know. Something warm."_

He pulled away, just enough for her to see his eyes. _"Hope maybe?"_

She looked down at him, and the warm feeling grew. _"Yeah, maybe."_ She replied with a smile.

_Hope._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, guys this has been a while in the making. I'm super proud of this one, and it's cool to FINALLY write Eight's first person account of her experience. Hopefully I wrote it well
> 
> Anyway, after this, there's only like two chapters left! This installment is nearly completed, y'all! Hope you guys are as excited as I am!
> 
> ((Also obligatory I haven't updated in a year joke))


	31. Calm before the warm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three and Eight have an all-over-the-place conversation but you know what that's just how it be sometimes

Three was the one waiting this time, and when Eight spotted her, she waved exuberantly. "Three!"

Three turned her head, smiling as the other swiftly approached. "Hey Eight. You seem to be in a good mood today."

She smiled warmly. "Hm? I guess I am, yeah."

Her own smile grew in return, and she beckoned the other over and began walking. "That's good to hear. Things going well with your guests?"

Eight followed. "Well, as well as they can for the moment. Honestly it's just surreal having Benny around again. It's like...a puzzle piece. Or a really nice rainstorm."

The Inkling chuckled. "I'm not going to pretend to know what that means but I'm happy for you."

Eight beamed.

* * *

Eight swirled her straw around. "I think...I want to try doing turf war a bit more." She said as their conversation was paused.

Three looked up from her food in slight surprise. "Oh? I mean, I'm free pretty much whenever if-"

The Octoling raised her hand, cutting her off. "N-no, I mean...on my own. That usually makes me nervous but I want to try it again."

Her expression softened a bit in understanding. "Ah, I getcha. Any particular reason?"

She took a deep breath. "I told Benny about what happened to me, and...it got me thinking. I've gotten so much _better_ since I got here. In the beginning I could barely _look_ at strangers and now...we're in public, and I don't recognize anyone, and I barely even notice unless I try. I used to be so scared of fighting but at this point I know I'm not in any danger. Fight or flight isn't winning anymore. Or, I mean, I _guess_ it is but now I'm more inclined to _fight_ than flee. At least in Turf War, I mean."

Three gave an affirmative nod. "Mm-hm, I get it." She took a bite out of a chicken strip and smiled around it. "I'm proud of you, Eight."

She blushed a little, rubbing the back of her head. "Thanks, Three..." She replied, and there was another pause.

Then something occurred to her, and a tiny seed of guilt began to grow. She decided to speak it rather than let it fester. "Hey...Three?"

"Yeah?"

"I...when I told Benny about what happened down there...I think I gave him a better picture than I gave you."

"...yeah?"

"Are you....mad?"

Three's eyes widened a little. "Mad? Why would I be mad?"

Eight averted her gaze. "...I don't know, I just...feel like you should be."

She was quiet for a moment at that, and then she reached over and clasped Eight's hand. "Well, I'm not. I don't need to know every detail if you don't want me to. It hurts for you to talk about, and if it hurts less around him, than there's no reason for that to bother me. I'm just glad you can confide in someone."

The Octoling still looked a bit guilty. "Even...even if that person isn't you?"

She smiled in return. "It doesn't always _have_ to be."

She took a deep breath, and her hand tightened around Three's. "Thank you." She said quietly, managing to smile again.

She gave a light chuckle. "Anytime."

Something else occurred to her all of a sudden. "Hey, you know what else I found out while talking to Benny?"

"What?"

"Apparently I speak Salmonid." She replied.

Three blinked. "You do?"

"Yeah, apparently I'm the only one who could hear them yelling at me during Salmon Run. I never brought it up because I honestly thought it was everyone."

Three raised an eyebrow. "I mean, technically everyone can hear them yelling, but you can hear actual words? Like they speak?"

Eight nodded.

"What do they say?"

Eight pondered, thinking back to the last time she'd actually done a shift. "Mostly things like _'Give our eggs back'_ and _'Intruder'_ and _'Blood for the swarm'_. Honestly after a while I started to tune it out because it was creepy." She explained.

Three shuddered. "I'd probably do the same, honestly."

The Octoling gave a hum. "Creepy as it is, though...after living with Deco in the house for a little bit, I can tell they aren't _all_ like that. Deco's weird, but...he hasn't given me the impression that he'd hurt any of us without good reason. Like he just holds onto that golden ball and sticks to himself. And he's nice to Benny so he's _gotta_ be a good person."

"I mean, I get what you're saying, but he still seemed to yell at us a lot when we met him out in the woods. If _he's_ the nicest a Salmonid can be than I don't think that's saying much." She pointed out.

"Benny said lots of the other Salmonids he met in the village were calmer than Deco is. But even then Deco was the one he got along best with." She looked down. "I think...the Salmonid Swarm is kinda like how Octarian society is." She explained. "Enslaved by an ideology. Even if all the Salmonids in the village were civilians, it sounded like most of them still believed in how the ones in charge determined their worth."

"But not Deco?"

"No, even Deco. Benny had to convince him it was wrong. But he was the only one he was _able_ to convince." She recalled. "That's what made them click, I guess. That's what it sounded like when he told me about it."

Three rolled her eyes, but she looked amused. "Honestly it sounds like Benny is just the most friend-shaped Octarian to ever exist."

Eight gave a snort of laughter. "I mean, if you barely know him and you can already tell, then it _must_ be true." She chuckled.

Three laughed as well.

The Octoling cleared her throat. "Anyway, roundabout way of saying this, but I'm probably not going to do any more Salmon Run shifts. Living with one just makes it weird and I'd hate for him to get the wrong idea."

Three nodded in understanding. "Makes sense to me. But don't your moms advertise for Grizzco? Surely it'd only be a matter of time for him to find out anyway."

Eight winced. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Hm...well I'm not trying to speed the process along, at any rate."

"Fair enough."

Eight squinted, and took a sip of her drink. "What were we talking about before this....?"

"....I don't remember now."

"Hm."

The pair went back to eating. There was a short period of silence, of them just being in each other's company, and then Three cleared her throat. "I think you were saying something about you wanting to try Turf War again?"

"Oh, yeah! That was it. What about it?"

"Did you have, like, a planned time for you to do that? Or were you just gonna go whenever?" She inquired, looking nervous for some reason.

Eight took a moment to think about it. "Hm...sometime this week I was thinking? Nothing's set in stone yet, though. Why?"

Three's gaze dropped to her food. "...I was thinking about this a bit, and...I wanted to invite you over to my apartment again." She replied sheepishly, blushing just a tad.

Eight's eyes widened in surprise. "...oh! Well, if that's the case, I can work around that! When were you thinking?"

"Uh...honestly same as you, didn't have a specific date in mind yet. I was also thinking just...sometime this week? I-in the afternoon...maybe.

Eight pulled out her phone. "Well...how about this day?" She brought up the calendar and pointed at a day. "I can do some Turf the day before and the morning of and I can tell you about it!"

Three gave a weak smile. "Y-yeah, that could work." She took in a breath and let it out. "You know I thought if I scheduled it beforehand it would be less nerve-wracking, but..."

Eight reached over to put a hand on Three's shoulder. "Sometimes it's more complicated than that. If you feel like you need to cancel at all, I won't feel bad."

The Inkling shook her head. "I appreciate that, but I don't want to get in a habit. I need to face it head-on and tough it out. It was...really nice, the last time. I don't want to let my anxiety deprive me of another good time." She explained.

She smiled. "You're very brave, but the offer still stands. I won't be disappointed, I promise."

Three looked flustered by that. "You're too good for me, you know that?" She mumbled, fighting a smile of her own.

Eight shook a finger. "No such thing! You _deserve_ good things!"

The Inkling put a hand to her face. "I'll take your word for it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Guess what! Next chapter is the last one!
> 
> Also if my math is right, when I post it, the series will be at EXACTLY 80,000 words! I was very careful about it because haha recurring number and I'll CRY if it works out wrong rip
> 
> This series has been a blast to work on aaaa. Stay tuned for the final chapter, which will probably come out relatively soon because it's written already but I have to wait because I have to
> 
> Commmmmeeennntttssssssssssssssss plz and thank


	32. Recognition, definition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight squeaks at the wrong time and it's life-changing

It was the day before they'd planned to meet when Three got an excited text from Eight.

[The real hero]: **HEY I KNOW WE SAID TOMORROW AND YOU CAN TOTALLY SAY NO TO THIS BUT CAN WE SWITCH TO TODAY??? SOMETHING AMAZING JUST HAPPENED AND I NEED TO TELL YOU IN PERSON**

Three blinked. Could she do that? Nothing was really any messier than usual, and it _was_ Eight...she took a deep breath, praying her anxiety would wane, and replied.

[Three]: **Sure! Can't wait to hear about it! :)**

Typed with a fair amount more confidence than she actually had, but that was fine. She didn't want Eight to worry.

[The real hero]: **Aaaaaa thanks!! I'll be there as soon as I can!!**

"Take your time, I don't mind." Three murmured, still feeling nervous. She took another deep breath; it'd be fine. It was nice to have Eight over last time. It would be nice this time; why wouldn't it? She stood up, and went to at least find something to put away, to perhaps ease her nerves.

Why wouldn't it indeed.

* * *

Eight knocked on the door a half-hour later. She was practically vibrating with excitement, and she could tell she looked it, for Three made a face when she opened the door. Or rather, she saw the expression change: it went from 'vaguely nervous' to 'perplexed yet hopeful'. At least, that's what it looked like.

Eight didn't give herself much time to process it, either, for she quickly hopped through the doorway and grabbed Three's hand. "Three!! You'll never guess what happened!!" She exclaimed.

Three looked a bit startled by her cheering, and as she closed the door with her free hand she voiced it. "Wow, judging by how excited you are, I bet something incredible."

"Very incredible!! Do you wanna guess?" She offered, her excitement still barely contained.

Three rolled her eyes. "You just said I'll never guess! But I can try. Uh...you just got done turfing, right? So it probably happened there?"

She gave a fierce nod, and immediately ditched the guessing game. "Ok ok, so, I remembered a thing awhile ago, about old friends of mine underground. A picnic, and Benny and Ilkani were there, but!! There were two other people I remember too: another Octoling and an Octotrooper. I asked Ilkani about them a bit ago, and she said the Octotrooper....is gone now, probably Four's fault, but!! The Octoling!! He left, apparently before me and Benny did!! And I _just saw_ him while I was turfing!!"

Three felt the enthusiasm spread to her. "Woah, that's awesome, Eight!" She replied with a smile. "How'd that go? Did he recognize you?"

Eight cleared her throat, fighting to keep her voice at least somewhat level. "Ok, uh, it went like this..."

* * *

(Earlier...)

Eight heaved herself up from the table, break officially over. She'd greatly enjoyed herself so far! Everyone had been nice, she'd won a good few battles, there'd even been a few Octolings in some of her matches! Her mood was already great, and as she finished off the last of her snack, she made her way back to the Lobby in high spirits.

Yet, as she entered, she stopped. Her eyes had landed on someone, a pair of someones. An Inkling and an Octoling, the first with his arm around the second.

That wasn't what caught her attention, however. No...she recognized that Octoling. His head was bare of tentacles, bearing the rounded 'mantle' style instead. That also wasn't particularly unique, but...his face...why did she recognize that face?!

"H...hey! You!" She called out to him, without meaning to.

Both of them turned their heads, and after a moment, the Octoling's eyes widened. He looked shocked. Not alarmed, but surprised.

Which meant _he_ recognized _her_ too. What was his name, who was he again?! Where did she-

-and then it came to her. The picnic, the one she wrote about in the metro, and in her journal. The Octoling that left before she and Benny did, he was-

"L-Lumin!" She shouted.

And immediately the Octoling's face burst into a grin. He pulled away from the Inkling, took a step, and then instantly broke into a run towards her.

She barely had time to react before he was before her, grasping her hands in fierce excitement. "Commander!! I can't believe you're here!!" He exclaimed. "What took you so long?! I was starting to get really worried!"

Eight gave a nervous laugh. "Ah, me and Benny got a bit...held up, but we're fine now." She replied, unsure how to properly phrase things and also unwilling to divulge further details in public.

Lumin's eyes twinkled. "Aw, that's super!" He gave her a very quick, _very_ tight hug, and she couldn't breath for half a second. "Ah, sorry, it's just- gosh, I thought you'd never get here, Commander!" He apologized as he pulled away, letting go of her hands and rubbing the back of his head. "If I hadn't met Drift I'd've been soooooo lonely up here! You really kept me waiting!"

"You two know each other?" The Inkling interjected, and Eight suddenly noticed he'd approached them while they'd been talking. He draped an arm over Lumin's shoulder again, and Lumin beamed.

"Yeah! She's an old friend from, like, _forever_ ago!" He explained, gesturing to her.

Eight sheepishly waved in return. "H-hi."

The Inkling smirked. "Well then, nice to meet you. Name's Drift." He took a moment to adjust his sunglasses, then he held out his hand. "Any friend of Lumin's is a friend of mine."

She hesitated for a brief moment, her eyes darting to Lumin. He looked downright _ecstatic_ about the turn of events. Eight took a deep breath, and shook his hand. "N-nice to meet you too. How long have you and Lumin known each other?"

Drift hummed in thought. "Almost two years now, I think? Is that right, babe?"

Lumin frowned in concentration. "I mean, we met pretty quickly after I moved here, so yeah, just about." He looked to Eight. "How long have you been, uh, in Inkopolis?"

"Nine months, uh, just about. Have you been here the whole time?" She asked.

Lumin nodded. "Wow, surprised we haven't run into each other before now, in that case!"

She gave a sheepish laugh. "Oh, I uh, don't really do much Turf usually. Th-that's probably why."

Drift looked up. "And speaking of Turf, match'll start soon. Soon as we get one more person in the lobby."

* * *

Back in the present, The pair of them had moved to the couch. Eight gave a happy sigh. "I'm so happy he made it up here ok. After I remembered him, I was starting to get a bit worried too, since I hadn't seen him."

Three smiled. "I'm glad you found your friend. That's one less loose end for you to worry about now, yeah?"

Suddenly Eight's expression took on a look of excitement, comparable to how it'd been when she'd first arrived. "Yeah, but that's not actually what I was most excited to tell you about!"

"Oh?"

"It was actually something that happened right after!" She explained. "See, right before the match was gonna start, Lumin's friend said 'oh yeah I never got your name.' And Lumin was about to introduce me by my old name so I stopped him. But right before I could say 'Eight', the last person got into the lobby and bumped into me and...I kinda _squeaked_. And for some reason he heard 'meep' from that so he said, 'Oh it's Meep then? Well nice to meet you Meep' and the match started before I could correct him."

Three raised an eyebrow. "Yeah...?"

"And there wasn't time to really correct him or Lumin while I was actually Turfing, so they just kept calling me Meep for the match, and then the other teammate figured that that was my name so he called me that too." She continued, playing with the hem of her jacket.

"...yeah? What are you leading into?" She inquired.

"I'm leading into...well, after the match was over I took another break, and I thought about it. And...I think I liked the way it sounded." She looked up, giving Three a sheepish smile. "I...think I know what my name is, now." She concluded.

It took Three a few moments to compute that statement, but when she did, her eyes widened in surprise. "Wait...you...?"

The Octoling nodded. "I think...I think that's my name. I think I'm Meep. It...I think it fits me. I think...maybe like this, I can finally put the Metro in a box, and stop letting it decide who I am. It's the past, and the name it gave me is too, I think. I...know it doesn't really sound like a name so much, not like Four's real name, or Pearl or Marina, or the Squid Sisters, but..."

Three took hold of her hand, stopping her tangent. She thought for a moment, tossing the word around in her head a few times. She smiled at the Octoling, eyes brimming with pride, and love. "Meep, huh?"

She nodded again, still looking sheepish. "Do you...do you like it?" She asked.

Three gave a short laugh. "I mean, what really matters is how _you_ feel. And you like the way it sounds, right?"

She nodded once more. "Y-yeah, it feels...like _me_. But....do _you_ like it?" She asked again, brow furrowing in nervousness.

The Inkling rubbed her thumb across the back of Eight's...no, _Meep's_ hand, and felt something click into place in her mind. Did she think it sounded like a name? No, she didn't. It was an onomatopoeia, and a goofy one at that. But did it fit the Octoling?

Three leaned over, still grasping her hand, and planted a soft kiss to Meep's forehead. "I think it suits you." She replied, still so very warm.

Meep's reply was a tiny little laugh.

Three was struck by how lucky she'd gotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand FINALLY her name! GOSH. FINALLY. I've been waiting for this for a long time, y'all. It's nice to finally have it OUT in the world. Like GEEZ this is one of the longest stories I've ever done.
> 
> Aaaand on that note, while this entry is done now, the series actually has one more installment planned! Though technically, it's going to me more one-shot collection than plot-driven story. Just a bunch of random ideas I had that didn't fit in this one. Honestly I've only got the first chapter planned; after that it'll just be whatever inspiration strikes me. Maybe I'll take requests too? Who knows.
> 
> In any case, the support for this series has been astounding, and I'm moved. Thank you all so much for sticking around this long, it means the world <3


End file.
